My dentist doesn't yet know why, but for months, I've been having gum pain behind my second molar in the upper left part of my mouth. He gave me Tetracycline along with a refill in case it was a gum infection. But, it didn't help. Xrays don't show anything wrong with the tooth or anywhere around the area. It just feels like the nerve behind my tooth is being very irritated. I asked him if it could be caused by sucking on Peppermints. He said it might be, and that I should lay off them for two weeks. In the meantime, Extra-strength Excedrin is taking the edge off the pain which is always there, but worse if pressure is applied to the gum, by eating food or pressing with a finger. Could it be that the nerve behind the tooth is thinking of dying, for whatever reason? He said something about putting a crown on the tooth, but I don't understand how that could help. Are there are dental professionals out there who could help shed some light on this six-month problem?
2006-10-03 23:36:19 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Dental
My age is 53, and my wisdom teeth are out.
2006-10-04 09:03:00 · update #1
Tetracycline is a commonly used antibiotic for periodontal (gum) infections. You may have an impacted wisdom tooth putting pressure on your erupted 2nd molar. Another common problem is cracked tooth syndrome which may or may not be the culprit in this situation. A cracked in a tooth can be fairly shallow or go deeper into the nerve of the tooth. A cracked tooth will hurt when you chew on it because the tooth is flexing and allowing stimuli into the tooth, causing the discomfort. If it is a shallow crack, most times a crown will hold the tooth together and not allow it to flex. If the crack extends into the nerve of the tooth then a root canal is indicated. I just saw someone that had a piece of calculus(tartar) on their tooth, below the gumline causing similar symptoms. I merely took an instrument and removed the deposit and symptoms subsided. Hope this helps and gets you some relief from your discomfort.
2006-10-04 04:24:57 · answer #1 · answered by pdub 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not a dentist professional but it sounds like you need a root canal treatment. I had pain in my "upper left 2" exactly as you are describing and I needed a root canal treatment. Ask about it because it seems your dentist wants to make some money out of you. You only really need a crown if you have previously had a root canal treatment and it is causing more trouble. It will only cause more trouble at least 2 years after the root canal. The reason the dentist has suggested a crown is because it is a lot more expensive than a root canal.
These dentists may seem nice but they are infact running a business and want all the money they can get.
2006-10-03 23:53:06 · answer #2 · answered by Paul 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not a professional, but I will share what my dentist just told me. I had my right upper back molar diagnosed with decay some time ago. I started having some pain in the right lower front molar, radiating down into the jawbone. I thought maybe I had two rotten teeth. It was refered pain from the upper 2nd molar. Once the upper was taken care of, no more pain. We did an xray just to be sure, it was negative.
To summarize, rear upper molar radiating pain down to lower front molar and the jaw under it.
Is it pain of an exposed nerve? Or is it a dying nerve? Is it sensitive to cold, heat, sweets? Is the pain constant?
Get another dentist for a second opinion.
2006-10-03 23:48:12 · answer #3 · answered by riversconfluence 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tetracycline is usually to make your skin better, not a gum? But maybe you should go to another dentist and get a second opinion on this...it could be something stuck up there inside the tooth keeping inflamed...in the mean time. rinse with about a tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide, and about four tablesoons of water...(in other words, dilute it down 1 to 4...)...and be sure to rinse well...this might kill whatever is lurking there...a crown? I am suprized at this for an 'answer'...good luck
2006-10-03 23:58:19 · answer #4 · answered by MotherKittyKat 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You didn't mention your age and you didn't mention wisdom teeth. If you did NOT have a panoramic x-ray, I would suggest that you need one to find out what's going on with the wisdom tooth in that area. They can be so high up sometimes, that they just don't show on a regular dental x-ray.
2006-10-04 07:20:10 · answer #5 · answered by Picture Taker 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It could be the tooth is cracked. This is very hard to diagnose, because it will not show up in x-rays, etc.
2006-10-03 23:41:03 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋