mouth – part II
Well, I have good and bad news, depending on how you look at it.
The good news is that I don’t have a crack in my tooth, and I don’t have any cavities. I also don’t have any obvious gum or root issues.
The bad news is that I don’t have a crack in my tooth, and I don’t have any cavities. I also don’t have any obvious gum or root issues. Thus, they can’t “fix” what hurts.
*sigh*
The dentist told me that if things would get worse, it would be more obvious what is wrong. He and I discussed the possibility that I’m clenching my teeth and how that might fit with the pain I’m describing. There isn’t much to do to make it better other than take over-the-counter painkillers. I’m just hoping that I can chew normal food well enough to enjoy Thanksgiving….
Ern says:
The symptoms you described sounded like TMJ. Did the dentist mention this possibility?
Danielle says:
No, he didn’t mention it, specifically. He did tell me that it could be a soreness in the ligaments and tendons of my jaw. I’m not sure if that is considered TMJ? I haven’t had any popping/clicking or locking of my jaw. I’m not sure if that is a ‘requirement’ of TMJ….
Ideas? I looked at Wikipedia, it wasn’t all that helpful.
Danielle says:
Oh, and my general practitioner pressed all around on the muscles of my jaw and face. None of them were sore….
jenski says:
I had *really* sensitive teeth for a while and ended up switching back to a gel toothpaste. It helped tremendously. Apparently the paste I used had slowly made my teeth more and more sensitive. I don’t know if that could cause the pain you are describing.
I have also heard and experienced pain from having sinus pressure buildup. Apparently the roots of your teeth can aggravate your sinuses. Any allergy flare-ups or serious colds recently?
Danielle says:
No allergies or sinus problems lately (surprisingly enough), but thanks for the thoughts, jenski. He did mention the sensitive teeth toothpastes as one idea. Maybe I’ll get some and see if it makes a difference. Do you have a brand that you like?
I’m actually wondering now if it was an inflammation of something (muscles, gums?), because I took some naproxen (Alleve) yesterday and everything felt much better for chewing.
Squirl says:
I’m glad the naproxen helped. Everyone else had such good suggestions and I couldn’t think of anything else. Maybe it’ll clear up and not bother you any more. Either way, I hope you can enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner.
Texas Seestor says:
Doh! How could I forget this…I recently had a dentist appointment and complained about tooth pain. No cracks, no cavities and I already use a mouth guard at night (that might be one idea for the clenching idea).
My dentist thought it was tooth sensitivity. I had to use Sensodyne every morning for 2 weeks and a new toothpaste by Sensodyne called Proenamel every evening for 2 weeks. I also had to quick using my good ol’ tartar control toothpaste which I was told can lead to sentivitiy issues. I am now using plain old Crest toothpaste…no tartar control, no whiteners, etc.
She also thought it could be tooth ligament strain (who knew?) and I took prescription Ibuprofen for several days.
Momo says:
Hope you get to feeling better soon, and I hope they can figure out what is causing the pain.