Need help. Unusual infection found a strange pathway? - Dental Health Message Board

nextlilypad · 04-02-2008, 11:54 PM

I cracked a lower molar one year ago and several weeks after placing a new crown on the tooth I felt deep bone pain. It was sporadic. I also noticed at this time I would experience swelling in the sub mandible area (jowl). There appears to be a connection between the tooth pain and the swelling. The pain & swelling are now constant and I'm experiencing more of an "episode" which is best described as intense PRESSURE which lasts for a few days. It feels like it's going to explode & coming (I think) from behind the tooth in question. When I experience this pressure my jowl also swells. Then the pressure is gone for maybe a week until the next episode. Swollen glands have been noticed in the past along the jaw line and inside under the tooth in question. The jowl also has a small permanent hard mass which I believe is another swollen gland. Sounds like any easy one, right? Well, I've been to dozens of specialists and none can find anything wrong. X-rays, CT scans etc all perfect. Tooth tests vital. All I can think of is possibly there is a small infection that is draining foward or finding a path and not developing into something that can be seen on imaging. Bone infection? Soft tissue infection? No infection? Any thoughts? I'd like to know if someone has had a similar experience. Thanks all. I'm way beyond frustrated.

nanaxiu · 04-03-2008, 08:23 AM

i thought i was the only 1. been experiencing toothache, tho, now, it's a bit better. i feel all different kinds of sensations that i cant explains sometimes. i feel that my dentist thinks im crazy when explaining to him.. soemtimes my 'teeth' feels itchy, my upper left canine hurts from the root (felt swollen), no pain when percussed, after oral prophylaxis, my lateral and central incissors feel swollen (it would take almost 2 months for it to heal)... my fault, i wore an outdated mouthguard... may have caused damage to my lower teeth... they hurt, like as if they're really swollen caused by sharp edges under the gumline.. like it's going to explode 'feeling' like yours... and there's a biting pressure w/c was not there before... frustrating... im having a hard time explaining this to my dentist... i suspected a cracked/fractured teeth (because of the dental sites online).. but my dentist said, i my teeth were cracked, it would be excruciatingly painful, you wont let any1 touch it...
im in dillema... but somehow im getting used to it. maybe it's just in my head... but i fear to lose tooth. so, good luck to us...

by the way, maybe the crown was not placed properly that's why you feel pain.... or maybe you clench too much... since you're stressed thinking about your teeth, it's possible that you grind or clench... that may be causing the pain.... maybe your bite is incorrect... that can cause sensitivity.... did you have root canal?

nextlilypad · 04-03-2008, 10:34 AM

Yes, I now have a bite issue from an adjustment done by a dentist trying to correct something else. There is now a major imbalance but it's not related to the jaw pain since the pain started well before the adjustment. Yes, I had a root canal on the tooth in front and it has not calmed down since the inflammation is going on around it.

nextlilypad · 04-03-2008, 10:42 AM

Forgot. Not true about a cracked or fractured tooth. I have others now that have cracked because of my jaw imbalance and putting uneven pressure on the teeth. Cracks don't have to be that painful. It depends on how the tooth is cracked and where.

I did have the crown removed on the tooth in question and an endo looked underneath with a microscope. I have no cracks and the tooth is vital. I suspect something is happening around this tooth. I have lymph nodes that enlarge indicating infection. A CT also showed facial inflammation. I'm sure teeth grinding wouldn't do this.

nextlilypad · 04-03-2008, 10:44 AM

Continue to forge ahead. I wish you luck, also.