My Toothache cause by Inflammed Gum or tooth itself? - Dental Health Message Board

rgreenham · 01-18-2008, 04:29 AM

Hi I wonder if anyone can help.

I have an acute pain in my right front tooth im trying to work out whether it is the ache is caused by inflammation to the gum / gingivitis or it is the tooth itself.

The pain is unaffected by hot or cold nor does it hurt to touch or eat there is no swelling nor redness but the gum is slightly bluish around my front right tooth crown.
If I swill warm water that totally stops the pain. The pain itself goes if I use ibuprofen.. Also it only hurts when im sat down or lie down when it pains the right hand side of the jaw and the right cheek and is very uncomfortable. Standing up it merely throbs and is bearable.
Im currently using antiseptic mouth wash and went down the pharmacy today and was suggested I try some Chlorexdine digluconate gel. Is there anything else I can I do whilst I wait for my appointment?

The effected tooth was got snapped of 8 years ago almost to the gum level and was filed down to small post and replaced with crown.
I'm hoping it is just an inflammation of the gum. I very occasionally get this due to a slight gap at the back of the crown where it meets the gum, and food with sharpish edge (eg a cornflake!) gets painfully stuck in and It will ache for a few days until it heals. I think this is what caused the tooth ache this time round.. However it normally only last a day or so, its been 4 now.

I'm a bit concerned as I have had it since Tuesday and cannot get an appointment with my dentist until this coming Tuesday..
What are the consequences to the tooth or gum in having to wait so long for an appointment?
Could the tooth rot to an irreparable level and need to be pulled.
This worries me as there is not much left and I was told on having it filed down that If I had it removed I would require a bridge for my front teeth.

Thanks

engillis · 01-18-2008, 01:37 PM

I don't think that waiting a few more days to have this looked at will mean life or death for this tooth; however the pain might keep you uncomfortable longer than you'd like.

Did this tooth have a root canal before the crown was placed? If not, it's possible that infection has gone into the nerve. It'd be nice if a dentist could take an X-Ray today and at least look at it, so if you need antibiotics, you could get on them.

Bridges aren't the only option for missing teeth. Titanium implants are generally better in that the adjoining teeth don't have to be filed down for the bridge.

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