Tooth hurts after crown?
Tooth hurts after crown? Why does a tooth hurt after a dental crown?
Tooth hurts after crown is a common search term for someone that is in pain AFTER a dental crown. There can be several reasons for this and there can also be several solutions as well. Typically people have a concern because the tooth did not hurt before the crown.
Why does a tooth hurt after crown? It didn’t hurt before the crown!
The very short version is whatever the cause of you needing a crown, a crack, decay, or break, causes some trauma to the nerve and the dentist fixing the problem causes more. The combination of the two things cause inflammation in the nerve which you experience as pain.
The pain comes from the nerve in the center of the tooth and/or the tissue around the roots of the tooth. The crown procedure is traumatic and will cause some pulpal inflammation, the pulp is the tissue in the center of the tooth that contains the nerve for the tooth.
The preparation of a tooth for a dental crown is traumatic to the nerve of the tooth. The reason you are getting a crown causes trauma as well. For example, a crack in a tooth will cause some low grade inflammation in the nerve of the tooth. Breaking a tooth will do the same. Cracks and decay typically grow pretty slowly so if you have decay or a crack the nerve can adapt to some extent to that but it will also cause inflammation. The photo below shows a tooth that is getting ready for a crown. You can see the decay on the left and under the decay you can see a crack. Both of these are causing nerve inflammation and my removal of the decay will cause more. That’s a 1-2-3 combo that some tooth pulp can not survive.
Removing decay, old filling material, cracks and just preparing the tooth for a crown happens all at once and is traumatic. This in addition to whatever was the cause for you to need a crown can push a tooth that felt fine over the edge and cause the tooth to hurt after the dental crown.
You can see how much of a tooth we remove for a crown.
There are several reasons a tooth hurts after crown.
- The tooth needs some time to settle down.
- The tooth will need a root canal.
- The crown is slightly too high and your chewing on it is causing pain.
These are the main reasons that a tooth hurts after a crown. The reasoning for each can depend on your situation.
Tooth hurts after crown because the tooth needs time to settle down.
If the pain is not too severe, the tooth may just need some time to calm down. We would classify this as reversible pulpitis and the pain should be gone in a few days. Each day the pain should be less. Anti-inflammatory medication like Advil (ibuprofen) can be taken and will usually eliminate the pain for a few hours.
Tooth hurts after crown because the tooth needs a root canal.
This is more severe than the case above. The pain is either more intense and or lasts longer after a stimulation like cold or chewing. We classify this as irreversible pulpitis. The pain does not go away after a few days and may even get worse. The nerve of a tooth will only take so much trauma before it gives up and starts to die, thus needing a root canal. Although your dentist will do their best to tell you before cementing the crown on if you will need a root canal, the reality is when dealing with living tissue one can never truly predict when a nerve will decide to die on you. Much of this has to do with your bodies ability to heal itself and with your anatomy.
Tooth hurts after crown because the crown needs an adjustment.
This is an easy fix. Have the dentist recheck the bite while you are not numb. Typically if this is the case after the bite adjustment you will immediately feel like you are biting together better. If the bite adjustment was the only issue the pain will disappear within a few days after the dentist adjusts it.
Typical situation of a tooth hurting after a dental crown. Tooth has large filling and large decay. Tooth feels fine at crown seat and then acts up days or weeks later.
What if my tooth hurts after a dental crown but I have already had a root canal?
That can happen for several reasons as well.
- If the root canal is recent then the area needs time to heal.
- The root canal could be failing or unsuccessful.
- One of your tooth roots could have a crack in it.
- The crown is slightly too high and your chewing on it is causing pain.
If the root canal is recent then the area needs time to heal.
It takes 2-3 days for the inflammation around the roots of a tooth that has had a root canal done to calm down. Advil (ibuprofen) will help this pain.
The root canal can fail or never be successful and thus a tooth with a new crown will hurt.
Messing with a tooth that has a root canal can stir things up and cause an infection to flare up. Root canals are only about 90-95% successful and the rate goes down the older the root canal is. If the tooth has a new infection after a root canal then you may lose the tooth. We can retreat a root canal or we can remove the infection through another procedure known as an apicoectomy. I personally feel if a root canals is failing one must consider a dental implant, but this is a case by case issue.
One of your tooth roots could have a crack in it.
If this is the case you will lose the tooth. These cracks are hard to detect and unfortunately often receive expensive dental work before we can determine they have the crack. The tooth in my cracked tooth syndrome post was a tooth that a root canal was done on knowing that a significant crack was there. However, we can not always know this, in fact usually we do not.
The crown is slightly too high and your chewing on it is causing pain.
This is an easy fix. Have the dentist recheck the bite while you are not numb. Typically if this is the case after the bite adjustment you will immediately feel like you are biting together better. If the bite adjustment was the only issue the pain will disappear within a few days. If you are having issues with either your throat or voice, then you may want to see an ENT specialist for help.
Why wasn’t a root canal done before the crown was put on?
This is a reasonable question for a patient to ask. To be honest it always sounds foolish to your dentist though. It would be like asking a cardiologist why a heart transplant wasn’t done before congestive heart failure started. We can not determine when your nerve tissue is going to die. We certainly aren’t going to start telling everyone that is about to get a crown that they need a root canal as well because most people do not. To do so would be over treating you. If you end up needing a root canal after a new crown is put on it’s just bad luck, bad healing, or a combination.
Or the dentist screwed up and over reduced the tooth which was my case when I went to get a crown replaced by a new dentist because it fell off from the cement getting old..
In your experience what percentage of teeth can withstand having a crown prep done twice? Mine is rarely will a nerve survive not only that but whatever trauma led to the crown the first and second time. What criteria are you using to judge the over-reduction? I’m not familiar with dentists that redo a crown simply because it fell off from old cement. The circumstances that a new crown is required would be if it was left out for an extended period of time and the teeth shifted, the tooth had decay under it, the crown broke or was lost, or part of the tooth broke inside the crown. Do you have any photos or x-rays of the situation?
My tooth hurts every once in a while after the crown. No root canal was performed. The problem is that like for example today i did not feel any pain at all. But for some reason Istarted to feel pain but after few.minutes its gone. Then it will come later on. My crown was placed 5days ago.
Still too early and if gradually getting better then probably will be fine.
had a crown put on roughly a month and half ago… was told at the time i might need a root canal, but it was up to me and that it could be done before or after the crown was put on and i told them just to put the crown on and will worry about the root canal later which the dentist seemingly had no problem with this decision… this was the 2nd dentist by the way, the 1st dentist i went to told me that they needed to pull the tooth and i would need a implant,.. this 2nd dentist said no, will save the tooth, clean it up and put a crown on it… anyway, off and on, it has been aching, sometimes throughout a day, sometimes not at all during a day, comes and goes and not really related to if i’m eating something, or if it’s hot or cold…. advil makes it goes away quickly.. the bite was checked, so that’s not the issue…anyway, i’m just wondering if i really need a root canal and how long should i wait if this crown tooth continues to ache off and on? it’s NOT any true pain yet…. i went to a 3rd dentist for a 3rd opinion and they told me i should wait another 3 to 5 months because it might take the nerves of this crown tooth to calm down and settle down that long, but that obviously after this time if the aching is still there or it gets worse and becomes painful then i should get a root canal asap… i just wonder though, if it would really take MONTHS for the slight aching to go away and this long for the nerves to heal? who and what to believe?…
No one knows for sure so you are welcome to believe whoever you want. At this point if I was in your shoes I would do the root canal. Sometimes they stop hurting because the nerve dies, not because it finally settled down. Then it sits there for years until it gets infected and blows up and then you need a root canal on an infected tooth. The success rates of root canals are much higher if done when the nerve is still alive. It sounds to me all 3 opinions you received are reasonable and have merit.
thank you sir very much for replying and taking the time to do so! I’ve decided indeed to get the root canal, i just hope the new crown can be saved. i do NOT want to get in a situation where “oops, now we need a NEW crown because the new crown we just put on is now fragile since we did the root canal thru it.. i’m NOT paying for another crown i’ll tell you that! also, i’m worried that the root canal doesn’t “take’ and then i’m back at square one having to pull the tooth, get the implant after all and pay for that AND the work i’ve already done!… lastly, while i’m still going to get the root canal, here is a question for you: should i shop around for the “cheapest” root canal or stay with the dentist who has done all the work on my teeth, who suggested the root canal and who would seemingly know the history of that particular tooth and know “what’s what” more then any other dentist? even if he might be more expensive in charging for the root canal? as it is, even a “cheaper” dentist, i’m sure will want a consultation, his own x-rays and so on and that will add up as well to the cost, so in the long run i would NOT be saving any money… what do you think sir? please get back to me (sorry for rambling!).
Root canals are technique sensitive I would try to find someone that charges more not less. I would go to whoever did the crown cause if the crown breaks while going through it and that doc did the crown they would likely replace it for you, no one else will do that.
never thought of that.. thank you, i now know how to proceed. i really do appreciate your time and expertise… all the best! happy holidays!
tracy
HELLO AGAIN, it’s saturday december 9th.. just for your f.y.i. i went ahead and got a root canal tuesday, december 5th, 4 days ago,and it HURT like crazy! jumping out of my chair, white knuckling off and on piercing shooting pan? i have to go back on the 19th to “finish the job”, the dentist said that 80% of the work was done and the remaining 20% would consist of taking out the temporary filling material, and “killing off” the deep deep tiny portions of nerves remaining and that it SHOULD NOT hurt that bad or at least not as bad? i wonder why it hurt at all, i mean what was the point of giving me 4 to 5 “numbing” shots? i thought this would numb ALL the nerves in this crowned tooth including the other tooths around it which the dentist said looked good and were okay? could it be the pain was caused by the tooth being infected and it’s nerves, NOT necessarily the nerves themselves or just the nerves?..i’m dreading the 19th i must admit if it consists of any more pain! he also prescribed oxycontin for the pain to take that when i feel it, and amoxicillin for infection protection.. have not tested this tooth in regards to heat or cold and i am not eating or chewing with it either… i do feel “sensation/pressure” when i press on it with my tongue.. i believe it’s the “30th or 31st” molar tooth on my lower right side of teeth.. any thoughts?
Sometimes teeth are so inflamed that it’s nearly impossible to get the tooth completely numb. It usually happens to teeth that have been in pain for awhile and need a root canal. It also usually only happens to people that are nervous/anxious as well. If the tooth is really “hot” (a term we use to describe a tooth that does not get numb) we remove most of the nerve and have the person return for the rest after things have calmed down. Sounds like that is what happened in your case. Sorry you had to experience all of that, it does happen.
I am in excruciating pain! I had a crown put on in October. It felt fine for a few weeks. Then two weeks ago it started throbbing. I saw the dentist, he took xrays and said it looked fine and that it could be swollen sinuses.
My cheeks are bright red from the pain. I cannot eat or sleep. My gums are swollen and my tooth is throbbing.
I need some direction please.
Go back to your dentist.
what was the outcome
I had a root canal done on my back molar about three years ago, the dentist just filled the hole as opposed to putting a crown on it. About two months ago I had pain in the tooth and had a crown put on. It is extremely painful and I’ve been back to the doctors three times for a bite adjustments. He also took x-rays and said there are no problems. Not sure what to do – do you think I should see another dentist. It’s very painful
It’s unusual to not get a crown after a root canal unless it’s a front tooth. It’s also unusual for a crown to be placed on a tooth with a root canal from years ago that now hurts. Get another set of eyes on it. https://www.bauersmiles.com/2017/11/need-crown-after-root-canal.html/
Thank you!
Hi, I’ve attached the x-rays from pre-crown and post-crown. Can you let me know your thoughts? I really appreciate your help!
Hello, i had two large fillings on both sides of tooth #10 about 7 months ago. The past month it had been hurting really bad, cold sensitive, etc. so I go to a new dentist he says it needs a crown maybe a root canal but they’ll try to save it. Yesterday the dentist did a crown on number 12, previous dentist had broken my tooth off practically to my gum line, & a filling between number 8 and 9. They went great but last night after brushing my teeth number 10 started killing me, much more sensitive than before they worked on the others. So today I go in and am ready to pay the $2200 for a crown and root canal but they made me wait 3 hours cause he was doing a wisdom root canal, that’s fine I waited. He starts working on it and says he’s not gonna do the root canal just yet, to see if he can save it without it. Well he puts a permanent crown on and 3 hours later it’s just as sensitive and painful to cold as it was before & he is going on vacation after tomorrow for 2 weeks. Do you think this will go away in a few days or is it more than likely needing the root canal? If so will they be able to do it since a permanent crown has been placed? I just don’t want to go two weeks with this pain.
Sounds like dentist was hoping to be able to save you some money since it sounds like you are spending a lot on your teeth right now. You’ll probably need the root canal. Even if the new crown is put on top we can do the root canal through the crown on that tooth pretty easily. Good luck!
Hi , I had a crown put on 8 yrs ago roughly and I went thru what I would say is my nerves dying! Pain, swelling , throbbing ,exc . Yes I went and seen the DDS and they said it was my roots dying that if it got so bad that I couldn’t tolerate it they would do a root canal! Well I didn’t get . So my question is that tooth is acting weird when I push on the side of my gum like a negative pressure and the crown is slightly loose is my tooth bad now? Rotten? From the inside out ? I felt a crunch the other day like I was chewing sand but no partials were in my mouth?could this be in between the crown and tooth?!
It’s possible that it stopped hurting because it died. It typically takes years after it dies to become infected and hurt again. The crown/tooth feeling loose may be the infection pushing the tooth out of the bone. Have a dentist take an xray and they will tell you.
Hello
I got a crown 3 weeks ago, and I still experience some pain, it awakes me at night, but ibuprofen calm it down very quickly.
I went 2 times to my dentist to check this pain but he didn’t see any inflammation or any problem on the X-ray.
I progressively take less pain killers every 5 hours at the beginning vs 12 hours now.
But if I don’t the pain is quite strong and still awakes me at night.
I also have a tendency to grind teeth when I sleep.
I’m sure the dentists has checked the bite if you’ve gone back twice so I would think you need a root canal at this point. It might still settle down but in my experience ones that hurt that badly end up needing a root canal at some point.
Sir, I had a root canal treatment recently, just 5 days back. And its a premolar tooth. Is it necessary for me to have a crown on it. I have known that the crowns are just to add a look on to the tooth. Does the root canal which I had will get affected if I did not have the crown on it?
It’s not necessary but statistically you are more likely to lose the tooth from breaking it if you do not have a crown placed. I would personally definitely get a crown on a premolar with a root canal and recommend the same to family, friends, and patients no matter what. I wrote a blog on this topic as well https://www.bauersmiles.com/2017/11/need-crown-after-root-canal.html/
Hello,
I’m so glad I found this! I had a temporary crown put on and it was fine…no pain etc. I got the permanent crown and it was too high and caused me so much pain! It was over the holiday, so I went a week before getting it shaved down. My gum still hurts (but not as bad) and for four days now my chin outside where the tooth is located is numb! I asked my dentist and she had no answer, like it had nothing to do with what they did. Did the crown go in to my gum too far and damage my facial nerve?
No that’s not possible. Not possible at all. Give it another two weeks.
Thank you! I really appreciate your quick response. I was so worried.
Update! Numbness is fading and I can eat again! It’s only been 6 days since this post, so 2 weeks is right on! Thank you!!
I had a crown placed on a molar in October and about two weeks ago it started aching.I failed to mention to the dentist that I wear Invisalign at night.( I had my teeth straightened about 4 yrs. ago) . The temporary crown felt fine but I couldn’t fit the Invisalign over the permanent crown.I went back to the dentist with my Invisalign and he shaved off some of the plastic for a better fit, it still didn’t feel the same as pre crown, he also said they would fit me for a new Invisalign if required.Could this be the problem or do I need a root canal,thank you.
Get the new retainer. Could be issue but unfortunately it’s more likely that you need a root canal.
These are very helpful comments to read, Bauersmiles. I, too, had a crown put on a back lower jaw molar a few days ago and the pain has been excruciating. They’ve ground it down once, but the opposing tooth seems to have come down again so it is touching. Have never had this issue with previous crowns (I’m 66). Rinsing with a hydrogen peroxide/ACT mouthwash takes away the pain for awhile, so am wondering if this positive result indicates an infection? My dentist says he will not even address pain issues for four to six weeks because it usually takes that long for the tooth to calm down. But again, the pain is unbelievable and the kind I have never experienced before.
You are very generous to answer questions here. Thank you so very much.
If pain is that bad I would get a root canal. My guess is there’s a misunderstanding between you and your dentist. I’m guessing he wants to give it 4-6 weeks to settle down but is not refusing to address the pain. If it is excruciating pain, and you tell him this again I imagine he will want you to get the root canal. We often want to avoid it as much as the patient does but at some point you must end the suffering and get the root canal!
I fell on my front teeth 4 years ago. I only ever felt pain in my front right tooth and just recently got a root canal 5 days ago. The tooth is no longer sensitive to cold/hot, but it is still sore (even when I press my tongue on it) compared to the surrounding teeth. I still need to go back to my dentist to receive a permanent filing. Will the soreness go away? Will I need a crown?
That’s not abnormal. Front teeth often do not need a crown after a root canal but that depends on much tooth is left. I have a post on that topic as well. https://www.bauersmiles.com/2017/11/need-crown-after-root-canal.html/
Went to dentist for cracked tooth a few weeks ago. Had crown put on last week. He had to use alot of Novocain because of extreme sensitivity when putting new crown on. 6 days later the new crown came off! Immediately went back to dentist. (Yesterday). He did the Novocain again (just putting the topical on before the Novocain was painful) and put the crown back on. Everything was fine until the evening. Then I thought I was going to jump out of my skin the pain was so intense. What do I do now? I will call dentist and what should I expect him to do?
Tell the dentist you think it’s time for a root canal. We have to go off of how much pain you are experiencing and we can’t tell that without you telling us. Plus we often try to save people the money and time of going through the procedure to a fault.
Hi, I had an old crown and part of tooth broke off on Christmas. My dentist said he could restore the tooth and do a root canal and new crown. Well, I had the root canal, posts, and temp crown put on yesterday. All went pretty well as far as no pain. Just started feeling a little sensitive today around gum line. Then this evening I bit on a hard cookie and horrible pain shot through. Now , it hurts when I push my tongue on it and I’m afraid to chew on it. Do I need to call him back and have it looked at it, or does it just need time to heel. It is tooth #4. I am 75 years old and have other crowns and 2 implants. I haven’t had a tooth hurt like this after it was worked on.
Call dentist. Might have cracked it and that would be a problem.
I have a crown on my back molar and what appears to be a canker sore on my mouth floor (same side / front). I drank some moonshine I bought last weekend and the sore showed up 2 days later. Then I popped the sore and I’m not sure if it’s coincidence or not but now I have pain in my teeth when I touch that spot. Is that possible?! My crown hurt so bad I couldn’t chew on it (2 days after popping the sore). Crown went on one or two years ago.
Canker sores are very common. Have your dentist check to make sure it is not a draining infection though as those too are common and need treatment. https://www.bauersmiles.com/2013/02/canker-sore-recurrent-apthous-ulcer.html/
How long can it take for pain to go away after having a root canal done ?
I had a root canal done 9 days ago and am due to have a crown put on after a month ie in another 2and 1/2 weeks . My tooth hurts when I bite on anything and I have a constant pain behind my right eye and into my ear on the same side of my face as the root canal when I lie down at night. Is this a sinus infection as well as the tooth recovering?
I tell may patients 2-3 days and that is usually accurate. I doubt your dentist will want to put a crown on the tooth if it is still in pain. The tooth could be fractured, the root canal could be ineffective, it could be another tooth, it could be sinus, and maybe other things. In another week you should call the office and tell them you are still having pain.
Hi I had 2 root canal done 3 years ago …and only a week ago got a crown ..he filed down my tooth and put it in …it’s two font tooth ….all was well …then 4 days later I started getting a lot of pain ..comes and goes …not unbearable but still painful ….what should I do
Hi, had a small fracture on my lower right side tooth & had a temporarily crown been in pain for the past few days that comes & goes. I have to go back on Monday to put on the permanent one. My question is this pain normal even my upper right side tooth’s are bothering too , pain was not there before. Need your advice.
The bite on the temp crown may be off. This happens often since you are usually very numb when work is done on a lower tooth and you can’t give us or tell us if the bite is right with the temporary. The dentist may adjust the temp and see if you feel a difference in your bite. If so then that was the issue and it will be fine. If not your dentist will give their thoughts based on how bad of shape the tooth was in when the piece broke off.
I recently have 2 root canals on 2 very damaged molars back in October. The temporary crowns I had gave me no problem at all and everything was fine. When my regular dentist was fitting me for my permanent crowns, he mentioned that the endontist did an excellent job on the root canals. So I was pretty confident that they were going to be fine. Well I have had my new crowns for a little over a month now and they just recently started giving me pain but I only really notice it when I lay down at night.
Last week I had a couple fillings in another area. I do think it’s possible that this could be caused by my grinding. I started my adhd medication back up and It increases anxiety and night time grinding.
I’m just worried that the root canals may be failing. I know there’s a lot of factors at play, but what do you feel is the most probably cause?
My money would be on the bite being slightly off somewhere. If you grind more, they’ll be more sore. Go back to dentist and have them double-check. I doubt root canal is issue but could be. Unfortunately if not the bite sometimes these things take awhile before we are capable of giving you an accurate diagnosis. Good Luck!
Update and question. I did have a root canal on my tooth after crown had fallen off within 6 days and then put back on. The pain the second time crown was put on was unbearable so next day had the root canal. After having root canal endodontist said pain should subside in 2 to 5 days. I’m on day number 6 and when I bite down on tooth it is painful. I feel a pressure around the tooth but that is not horrible. Biting down really hurts. The temporary is on and I’m due for the reconstruction of the crown in a few weeks with my dentist. Should I go back to endodontist? He told me not to eat on it which I have not done but occasionally I just bite down. Do you think it is still painful due to so much work being done in a 2 to 3 week period? My face is still slightly swollen. Tech said gum was purple where all the novicane shots had been applied.
I had the permanent crown put on second wk of dec since than it’s been aching off and on I had two put on but only one is causing me pain I went for a cleaning dec 19th and they took X-rays and said where they have to pack it probably reason I’m having the pain it could take up to two months to settle down but the X-rays looked good but it’s hurts worse since getting the crown put on verses before they didn’t think I needed a root canal as of right now.. also will I lose this crown if I do need one??
They saw you and possibly tested by tapping or blowing cold air on it so they would know better than I. Some teeth take a little longer to settle down but it should be gradually feeling better. Staying the same or getting worse means need a root canal. Also the crown will be saved, we usually just go through it for a root canal.
I have seen some very interesting comments but can’t seem to find anything that really falls in to what I am experiencing.
3 years ago I had a root canal through a crown that was already on a molar. A small hole was drilled in the center of my molar and the procedure was completed. I then had the hole covered over by my regular dentist.
3 years and no problems. Then November 2017 I felt my crown crack. I returned to the dentist and he suggested a new crown. I still had no pain.
He removed the old broken crown and fit me for a temp. Still no problem.
New crown put in middle of December 2017. I started to feel pain when chewing while away on holiday. No real issue with hot/cold but just chewing.
A bit of a throbbing feeling started coming from the tooth.
I had an appt with my dentist at the start of Jan 2018. I told him about the tooth and he took an X-ray. He said there was no infection. He said it was possible the crown would not work and I might need an implant .
I still continue to have chewing issues and throbbing from the tooth. When I push on the tooth with my tongue it feels tight.
Why would a tooth that had a root canal and now a new crown hurt? Shouldn’t the nerve be dead? If there is no infection and I had the root canal 3 years ago with no problems why would it be bothering me now with a new crown in place?
I guess I’m just confused as to what exactly is hurting. If the root is dead—where is the pain coming from? And if my dentist says there is no infection what would I want to do next?
Thanks for any information you can provide. I really appreciate your time and expertise.
Common question and issue. Shortly – the pain is coming from the inflammation in the ligament attaching the tooth to your bone. You will not feel hot or cold because the tooth nerve is gone but touch and chewing usually hurt. Teeth that have a lot of work like yours eventually break. Meaning what is left of your tooth (mostly just root) has likely fractured. Unfortunately it is difficult if not impossible to detect right away. Often people will get root canals and crowns before it becomes severe enough for a dentist to accurately diagnosis. The tooth hurts because the area around the tooth connecting it to the bone is inflamed and or infected. My guess would be that when you broke the crown you also broke the tooth but it was not severe enough to be clinically evident. I have a post on cracked tooth and the difficulty we have detecting them. https://www.bauersmiles.com/2012/12/cracked-tooth-syndrome.html/
Thank you so much for your response. It finally makes sense with your explanation.
It sounds like I will be left with no choice and have to get an implant at some point.
Again, thank you for your help.
I think it’s highly likely you are correct with where you are headed – dental implant.
I have a front tooth that died years ago. It became infected (again years ago) and I got a root canal (my face puffed up…it was terrifying).
Anyway, I never got it capped but it has yellowed over time and kind of bugs me so I made an appointment. I had my teeth whitened first (which HURT) and now I am scared of having the tooth filed down and a cap put on. I dont have a rational reason for this. It just scares me and I think it is also a lot of maintenance? The whitening was so painful I never want to do it again. And I dont want to file down my original tooth… But I dont like how yellow it is…
How much do they have to file down? Do I have to keep whitening my teeth now? How often will I have to get the crown replaced?
You should internally whiten it. It is a common procedure for teeth in the front that had a root canal years ago. I have a bunch of before and after photos but the first one that came up when I googled it was this one from our office. https://www.bauersmiles.com/2015/07/black-front-tooth-whiten-it.html/
So glad I found this. I had a 15+ year old crown fall off of a vital tooth a few weeks ago. No pain associated at all. When the dentist put it back on for me he noticed that there was quite a bit of decay and very little cement left. Suggested we replace the crown at some point but it’s not urgent since it isn’t bothering me. I made the appointment to be proactive. He removed a lot of decay losing a lot of tooth structure and put two pins in to help hold the crown on when that gets placed. The following day I had electric type pulses (not necessarily pain) in my tooth 1-2 times an hour and then the following day it basically stopped. Then the third day out it started feeling sore. It is now he morning of the 4 day after crown prep and it hurts enough that I’d like to take something but I’m 6 months pregnant so I’m limited sonim trying to just deal with it. New crown will be placed in 3 weeks and dentist said we can use temp “cement” for a few months to see what the tooth is going to do before we permanently cement it. What is a reasonable time frame this to stop hurting or to make the call to have the root canal? Also keeping pregnancy in mind for whatever part that plays with pain and whatnot. Thank you so much for your time.
It varies with a tooth like that. I am happy as long as the tooth is continuing to improve. Your dentists plan sounds very good to me. Sounds like you are in good hands.
Thank you very much for your reply!
My regular dentist discovered a cavity under a large filling on tooth #’s 12 & 13 after a routine cleaning and said I would need a crown (existing filling was just too big). I went to another dentist to have this done because he was half the cost. During the procedure I became unnumb (I am a natural redhead who generally requires 20% more anesthesia) as they had to go subgingival. He said he was almost done and I felt like I was being held down and tortured. His assistant took the impression and made the temp. She dropped something on the floor, rubbed her nose with the back of her gloved hand and and messed with her hair twice before putting my temp on (which I am pretty sure what she dropped in the floor). I was given Percocet 10/325 for pain from the procedure (it didn’t hurt before I went in). I went back in 10 days to get the perm. crown placed. I began having a lot of sensitivity on #13 a week later. I returned to see the doctor and his assistant adjusted the occlusion on #13 and the opposing crown below it??? Now the tooth is absolutely hurting so bad that I feel like I need to go to the ER. I have finished the pain pills, Advil barely works, been doing exercises for Trismus (which is what the office manager said I had when I called back this week again), and have also tried salt water rinsing, oragel, almond extract and nothing works. This dentist has no emergency number-what should I do? This pain is radiating across my entire face. Breathing hurts but especially when I tap/touch the lingual cusps. Could the assistant have caused damage? I live in TN and am pretty sure assistants are not supposed to approve final occlusion??? Please help-this is literally killing me. Can’t eat or sleep or even talk!
Half the cost is a huge red flag. If I was you I would go back to the “expensive” doc and get another opinion and then do what he/she recommends but stay in that office. Dentistry is very much under the umbrella of you get what you pay for. I am sorry you had this happen to you but in the future be aware of cheap prices.
Hello Bauer Bryan,
Your helpful comments to others have inspired me to ask you a question about my crown. I had it done in October, top left hand molar. The tooth was cracked and had previously had a filling. Ditto the tooth below it. My dentist capped the top tooth and re did the filling of the tooth below, that tooth looks mostly metallic now. Both teeth are still very sensitive to hot and cold. After the crown I asked my dentist how long til they stopped being sensitive and he said it was hard to put a time on it. Now I’m scared to go back to this dentist and be told to keep waiting or be given bad advice (ie he won’t admit if he didn’t do a proper job). Should I go back there and have it checked again or seek another opinion? I’d gone to him months before complaining of sensitivity in that very tooth and was told I was fine, should he not have been able to see the crack/ predict the problem earlier? I’m not sure what to do, am terrified of needles and just want to avoid more trauma, just want this fixed… thanks so much, Mariana
There’s no way to tell how bad a cracked tooth is or what it is going to need ahead of time. You need to go back. It might just be the bite is high, this is very common issue. However, based on your description I would bet one of the two teeth need a root canal. I base that primarily on the fact that it seems both teeth have had a lot of work done to them. Your dentist is trying to save you from needing a root canal. The wait and see advice is very good advice and much preferable IMO to over-diagnosising and telling everyone they need a root canal as soon as they feel a little pain.
Thank you, I really appreciate you coming back to me so soon. The dental work was very painful and I’m just scared, but it’s been months and something is definitely still not ok. I will go back and see what I need to have done. Thanks again!
Hi Dr. Bauer,
I got a root canal in October on my tooth in the very back top left. After he put on a permanent crown and everything has felt fine until this week. All of a sudden it’s sensitive to heat and cold and a little sore if I push on it. This is three months later. Would something cause this random flare up even though the nerve has already been removed?
Do I need to make an appointment with my dentist, or do you think it will go away?
Thanks for any insight!
Heat and cold sounds like it could be coming from another tooth. Go back if continues and dentist will test.
Thanks so much! It oddly doesn’t hurt anymore, but I have an appointment on Monday afternoon, so I guess it doesn’t hurt to have it checked.
Hello,
I had a root canal and crown on one molar and just a crown on my back adjacent molars. This took 6 hours at the dentist. I had to be numbed several times and two days have passed still have some swelling on my face and it’s painful to che on that side. Is this normal?
6 hours is not normal for that amount of work but your symptoms are. If all settles down and continues to get better over next few days then no worries.
HI Thanks for the reply. I was a first time patient and was just going in to check some recent work i had done at another dentist…so they fit me in ..that’s why the 6 hrs.. I was thinking it was alot of trauma to my face and gums and that’s why so much pain. I can chew soft foods today but anything hard is excruciating.
Hi, I had a crown put on over a fractured tooth last Monday. Dentist cleaned out an old filling and prepped the tooth. Permanent crown installed same day. Day 1 and 2 were mildly sore/tender., woke up during night 3 with some throbbing, took Advil and was fine for 14 hours now mild throbbing again. Sound normal so far?
I tell patients I want to see symptoms getting better day by day not worse. have dentist check the bite that is most common issue but needing a root canal is certainly not impossible. Good luck!
I am having a root canal done on my right upper tooth, which is connected to a bridge. There was a hole in the crown. After 3 visits, and having the nerves removed, I can still feel sharp pain when the dentist probes it at the end of the canal. The x-rays don’t show that there’s any nerves left. What could cause the pain? The dentist doesn’t want to finish the crown and the new bridge and wants me to see an endodontist, which is very expensive. I have no pain other than when the tooth is being worked on. Couldn’t we just go ahead with the crown and bridge? Thank you so much!
Listen to your dentist and see the endo.
Prepped for a crown and received temp on a back molar. She said the decay didn’t reach the nerve. The previous dentist had used a liner and I remember him telling me he used medicine to calm the nerve. Waiting on crown but I have a constant pain. (3/4 out of 10 scale) 200 IB makes it go away, but I need 2 a day. Doesn’t hurt unless I eat and use it. I favor other side but still. The temp crown is shorter just so I wouldn’t hit it. It’s day 6 of temp crown and it feels the same as day 1. Any way of fixing without root canal?
A tooth with that much history of trauma to the nerve makes it highly probable that it will need a root canal at some point. I often tell patients that if there is pain after a week on a tooth that is iffy a root canal is highly likely in the next couple years and it’s easier to do it now before the final crown goes on.
Your webpage has been very useful and informative to me after capping. Thank you so much.
I had a root canal and permanent crown on an upper molar about 2.5 weeks ago, and ever since I’ve been having bite pain (only when I chew something like bread that covers a lot of the tooth). I went back after a week and did bite tests, and never felt pain once when he was testing in small areas so he said to wait a week or two and see if it gets better. It still hurts to brush the gums that had the root canal and I still have some sensitivity to hot and cold, but not as extreme or long lasting as before the root canal. Not really sure what’s going on. Hasn’t really gotten better or worse over the 2 weeks.
Wait another week like they said. If the same then go back. It should either be getting better (hopefully) or worse (meaning something is going on)
I had a root root canal done 6 months ago and a crown placed over it . Now the tooth with the crown has become increasing sensitive to hot and cold also when I apply pressure to it it hurts . So do i need to go back to the dentist because I think I just want to take the tooth out I hate this constant issue with it . I’ve paid thousands of dollars to still be having issue .
While it’s possible that the tooth that had the root canal is sensitive to hot and cold, it’s much more likely that it is a different tooth nearby. Go back and let them test the teeth.
Hi, I had two crowns done a week ago, one on top of the other one, the next day I noticed that my creek was bruised and it was swollen also the inside of my creek was very hurt. the dentist said that it was possibility of one of them maybe need to be a root canal. I went back two days later because the upper crown felt down but I really didn’t have that much pain, by Thursday night I noticed more pain and the swollen in my creek was bigger and the bruised was more noticeable, I called the dentist office and they told me to come in for Xryas again, I saw another Dr. there and she said that she didn’t see any infection in the tooth that he worked on but a very small infection in another tooth that I never knew needed work. She gave me antibiotics and I start taking them since last Friday the pain was worse and finally the pain went down until Sunday but I am still taking Tylenol & ibuprofen now I feel that my left side on my jaw line is kind of numbed and the pain is still there not as bad. Do you think he hit my nerve???
Nerve? No. But sounds like you have a lot going on so I wouldn’t be shocked if you had bruising and swelling. Plus when numb you have bit your cheek.
I had a temporary crown placed 6 days ago. The first couple days I had a little throbbing pain here and there but now it is constant and getting worse. Ibuprofen does not help but icing my cheek does help a bit at night when trying to get some sleep. My bite is fine from what I can tell, I am not hitting it high or off, my mouth closes like it did before the crown was placed. Any ideas? Should I go back to the dentist?
Go back to dentist to check bite.
In your experience, about what percentage of patients have issues like the ones described here after getting a crown? And what percentage have no problems? (I have a lot of faith in my dentist—not worried about his skill or motives). Just curious how likely it will be that I’ll be back there sooner than I expect.
I think nearly all have something for several days. My guesstimate is 10% have longer than that. And that is 10% that we aren’t thinking might have issues. Deep decay and teeth that hurt before we do our work it’s a much higher percentage.
Great blog. Can you help me figure this out.
I was fine, then a filling fell out of tooth 2. Replaced with deep filling, then corner of tooth broke. Prepared for crown. Tooth 31 reduced to make way for crown above. Temp crown cut tongue, 2 days later the dental assistant could not get temp off to smooth and aggressively rocked the tooth with pliers and failed to remove. This caused shooting pain up inside tooth and throbbing. Symptoms continued next day, dentist then reviewed and cut off temp and replaced with new temp noting ill fitting first temp too snug. On Tylenol/Advil and 3 days later tooth 2 and 3 blew up in middle of night. It seems reduced tooth 2 and 31 left tooth 3 with all pressure and I can clench hard, so tooth 3 had shooting pain and throbbing. Dentist sent me to an endodontist. Result with second opinion was to have a root canal 2, then review 3 after. After root canal, 2 weeks later the final crown was installed.
Long story short, from the beginning with the tooth 2 prep and rocking, I have had pressure and bite pain. This has not gone away after final crown, dentist said normal.
Question – could prep and deep drilling have weakened tooth making crown very thin and brittle, then rocking make some kind of crack that caused symptoms of bite and pressure pain? I am just trying to understand given I had had good health.
New dentist and new endo now treating me, seems much more carefully. Dentist fit me for a tooth guard, put sedative filling in 3 which also reduced it so teeth in that row are more even in height, warned may need crown as corner is now thin. Endo did 3-d scan and focuses on possible tissue after root canal in 2. Says perio and occlusion are OK. But symptom of pressure and bite pain began from the beginning when preparing tooth for crown, not after RC. Endo put me on antibiotics as first step to review in 2 weeks. Possible RC rework and if that fails, possible extraction of tooth 2. Tooth 3 may end up with root canal if ache continues after sedative filling. Did I mention tooth 31 below 2 is cracked. Not noticed until reduced for crown in 2. 31 will be reviewed later, but it did develop bite pain (I tried chewing on that side after install of final crown. I am back to only chewing on other side).
Whew. How did I get from “no problems” to this? I think the deep new filling in 2 and rocking started the ball rolling.
Could be. When we go in to fix something there is definitely a risk of “stirring” things up. I don’t agree with your assertion that you had no problem before though. If that was the case then you never would have needed the deep filling and the tooth wouldn’t have broken requiring the crown. That is water under the bridge now. For some reason some people will have multiple issues all flare up at same time in the same area. Not sure if it’s from localized inflammation or because teeth in the same area of been undergoing the same type of abuse for about the same amount of time but it happens and it sucks for everyone involved.
Thank you. I should have said I had no known problems for years. Of course, the filling fell out for a reason.
Yes. That makes sense. Bad luck and your ball start rolling analogy is pretty much right on.
And thank you for the time to do this blog.
Bauer Brian – Thanks for this informative blog & your time. A new crown was placed bottom left molar approx. 2 1/2 yrs. ago. Same crown cracked 2 yrs later last July & final replacement crown placed early Sept. 2017. New dentist had no explanation but I paid out of pocket full price since ins. only covers new crown every 5 yrs. Went from PPO plan to HMO plan Oct 2017 & began having pain in new crown in early Dec. HMO dentist referred me to HMO endodontist for root canal mid-Dec. due to pain. Endodontist’s opinion was tooth was fractured & left it to me to decide root canal vs. save money for implant. I wanted to try to save tooth so went for root canal which was done thru new crown & am having permanent filling put in next week. Meantime, 25% of tooth #4 on opposite side of upper mouth broke off last week. No pain, dentist filed down sharp edges but mentioned it “looked” like a crown. It’s not a crown, it’s a tooth which will now need a crown. Shouldn’t the HMO dentist know a real tooth from a crowned tooth? I’m concerned about HMO dental plan & quality of care plus I am wondering if the chemo I went thru( Cisplatin/Taxol high dose) for cancer in 2008 could be contributing to weakening of my teeth? Haven’t had dental disease in years & now they say I have cavities on front of teeth, need debridement, etc. is concerning. Should I just go with HMO or pay out of pocket for PPO consult or actual ongoing care? Thanks in advance.
The economics for a dentist supplying HMO care makes it nearly impossible to provide great care. PPO can even be challenging. FFS is the most likely to result in excellent care but it costs even more. These are generalizations but are likely to be true, as the old adage goes “you get what you pay for.” https://www.bauersmiles.com/do-you-take-my-dental-insurance/
I’m 70. I had tooth , jaw and ear pain. I went to the dentist. He asked if I grind my teeth at night. Also mentioned TMJ. He did X-rays found one tooth with a crack and some decay but on the opposite side I’d my mouth. It never had pain. The right side where I had hot liquid sensation he tapped teeth and did air with no discomfort to me. He removed old filling and placed a crown on the tooth even though I had no pain. He did suggest I go to an endo to be tested for a possible root canal. He placed a temporary crown on the tooth to see if the pain settled down. It did settle down so he permanently affixed the crown. After this I continued to have tooth, jaw and ear pain. It took almost 2 months for pain to be gone. Also during The interim if this I had gone in twice for bite adjustments.
Now I have an old gold crown from a very back molar come off. There was no pain or discomfort until he put the numbing medication non the gum. The medication went into the tooth and I had lots of pain. He proceeded to replace the crown. I could not use the same gold crown because there were two tiny decay spots on top and one the lower side of the tooth. The crown evidently had been leaking for a long time. He replaced the old one with a Ceric crown. So in continuing it’s been one week and I have been having a lot pain similar to the pain I had on the other side that is now better. Seems like this will Nobel’s another 60 days before it feels better! What are your thoughts on Ceric crowns. I now have 5 of them. I blame my teeth situation on a poor diet and lack of hygiene care when I was very young. I’ve never had root canals done. I’ve recently read that one should have the tooth removed as root canals most often are not done properly and that decay from root canals can lead to other problems in the body. One women who have had root canals have breast cancer on the same side as the root canal.Opinion?
Also, I am with a Medicare HMO for my dental. I pay the contracted amount which is about half of what the dentist normal fee is. It’s still very expensive. I have had 3 inlays and one onlay done with Ceric. It has cost me over $3000.00. Every time I go in to the dentist I see a new dentist! If I have one I really like he is gone after a short period of time. I complained that I want the same dentist each time I go in. They assigned me to the part owner so he won’t be gone the next time I go in. Are these other dentist fresh out of dental school and getting their training through this facility? Hen I found out that the co owner was treating me I told him how I felt. He said they are working on it. He has been there 4 years and said he is not going anywhere. They are all very nice people but they really push other products on me. Like a 4 hr. Fluoride treatment for $20 that I do at home. I said there is fluoride in tooth paste! No thanks. Also deep cleaning $800 which includes laser treatment . I have a couple #5 . I declined. I read that if you have#5 that those are the only teeth that need deep clean. Opinion?
HMO offices will continue to have new dentists because no one wants to work there. To make any money they must push services on you that are not covered, inlays, deep cleanings you don’t need, and extra services. HMO practice model is bad for everyone.
What is FFS?
Fee for service. A dental office that is not in network with insurance companies. A PPO plan allows you to see anyone and will still pay and HMO will not, that is the difference between those two. PPO plans allow you to see a FFS doctor but have a max they will pay that is often close to the fees at the FFS office. However, some cheaper PPO plans act more like an HMO plan where they pay such low levels if you go out of network you are forced to go to their docs.
Hello Dr, I’ve had 2 crowns on my two upper front teeth without root canal being done…since I became pregnant these 2 teeth now hurt and are sensitive to hot and cold food..sometimes I feel like the crowns will fall off and its very difficult to have food now… Even when I speak I feel as if they will fall off…no dentist will touch my teeth as I’m already 37 weeks pregnant… I hope they can still save these two teeth after my pregnancy as nobody is willing to do anything at the moment.if I check in the mirror they look intact but why do my inner teeth feel sensitive when I have cold or hot drinks
The crowns won’t fall off. If they really really hurt then someone will do the root canals.
Thank you so much Dr…now they don’t hurt but they feel different..I feel like they are foreign objects…before they felt like my own teeth..I think gaps have been formed.. But I don’t feel the pain except it’s different when I speak and eat as if there are gaps now.. So I guess it’s best to wait until I deliver then?
Hi. I was wondering if you could comment on my situation. I had a crown and root canal done on tooth #30 (back right molar) last April, 2017. My dentist said eventually I would need a crown on tooth #31. I avoided doing so for about 6 months and did the procedure last Friday, 2/9. I noticed throbbing pain on tooth #30. I thought it must have been from tooth #31, but when my tongue touches tooth #30, I get a sensation and pretty confident the pain is in that tooth not further back. Now the throbbing and pain has intensified. Im going back to the endodontist who did the root canal. Is it possible #30 has bigger issues and #31 exacerbated it or does #31 need a root canal also? I have such sensitive teeth, especially my back molars. The opposite molar on left side has crown and root canal and depending on how I chew something hard, I get a shocking pain sensation. Im becoming less hopeful after every dental procedure. Thanks.
My money would be on #31 but if #31 has inflammation and is hurting it will make #30 hurt too.
I’ve never had root canal work. I do have lots of crowns on my molars. Actually all of them. I have found that it takes a long time ,especially the very back molars , to heel. The more trauma a tooth endures the longer the healing time. Sometimes it can take several months before complete healing. A root canal would be the very last resort and even then I might consider having the tooth pulled. Root canal are not safe and lead to future health problems if all the bacteria has not been removed. Something I just recently tried is CBD directly on the tooth and gum. The pain is gone!
Jamie, my case above is similar. But top row, tooth 2 had a root canal almost 2 months ago now, and has had bite pressure pain from the beginning when prepped for the crown, still has that. Tooth 3 had some of that and two weeks ago developed a constant strong ache, like last November when I woke from a serious clenching event. My dentist gave tooth 3 a sedative filling in hopes to calm it down and avoid a root canal in this second tooth. This also leveled the teeth in that row so tooth 3 no longer gets all the pressure irritating it from clenching, etc.
When first to an endodontist, and also second opinion, I was told to not try to guess which tooth had the problem. Something about nerves are shared. A tooth in a different part of the mouth can hurt but not be the problem tooth, but referred pain.
The new endodontist put me on an antibiotic for 7 days and I see him in a week for follow-up.
The aching pain in tooth 3 seems tamed, a rare light ache here and there. Hopefully a “whew”, dodged that bullet. Never heard before of a sedative filling. Maybe if done previously for tooth 2, that may have prevented the root canal, angry it was not tried or suggested.
For tooth 2, endodontist says may be some remaining tissue after root canal and may recommend a rework (another root canal with less rate of success and big cost). Since from beginning when prepped for crown, I’m betting on some hair line fracture from rough handling back then not showing on the 3D xray. Others say molars take long to heal so it may be a “wait and see”.
I hate this. Meantime I’m chewing months now on the other lesser used side and some now light disturbance here and there. I’d hate for both sides to have issues and move on to all needing crowns with risk of root canals.
Hello, I got a crown done in the upper right side, since that work was done, I have feeling pain/sensitivity in the teeth (or gum) below where the crown as well as around the crown, have been to the dentist 2 times for “adjustments”, however the sensitivity remains, am wondering maybe the crown isn’t of the right size and/or the problem is bigger than a simply “adjustment”..
Maybe get another dentist to check it out. Sometimes the problem has to get worse before we can accurately tell exactly what it is that is wrong.
Hi, I had tooth extraction (second tooth from the very back on the bottom left). That has been healing fine but the very back tooth next to the extraction was also causing me pain. My dentist said I needed a root canal and crown on that tooth. They began the root canal and put a temporary crown on and told me not to eat on that side and it was feeling better. I went back 2-3 weeks later (this past Monday, Jan.12th) and they completed the root canal and put on the permanent crown. I was told that I could now eat on that side with the permanent crown. I am now going on 5 days post but when I eat on that side, I have significant pain. I saw from your previous posts that the pain should only last a couple days. I don’t have pain unless I try to eat on that side. If I tap on that tooth with the crown it is sensitive and does hurt. I’m avoiding eating on that side due to the pain. Does this happen often and just need some extra time for healing? I thought that when they do the root canal it basically “kills” the tooth and I shouldn’t have any more pain? I left a message at the dentist’s office and was told to wait and see if it subsides. Thank you for any advise.
What they said is right. The tooth won’t feel anything but when you bite on the tooth, the tooth is attached to your bone through ligaments and they will still be inflamed and thus hurt if you push on them.
Thank you. Any idea how long I can expect this to hurt before I can eat on that side or how long I should wait to go back to the dentist if it doesn’t go away?
As long as you continue to see improvement then all is good. That is the key continued improvement means it’s slowly healing.
Ok, thank you very much.
Dr., can the issue be sensitivity to the cement? I see articles on this on the internet. I have a number of allergies. Is the right dental expert to analyze this a prosthodontist? Now two dentists, when I bring this pain up said to see the endodontist. But I think I need a “crown” specialist.
My bite/pressure pain began with the original prep for the crown and install of the temp crown (cement). I never felt cold/heat pain when eating. Since pain did not get better – and I had some burning, throbbing then – over a month later I had a root canal and then final crown. Another month, and no change in this bite/pressure pain.
The top of the crown has felt all this time some mild discomfort from my tooth brush, the sides of crown give a very slight ache when pushed by tongue. This feels within the crown above the gum line. Biting and pressure remains more intense and I can’t chew. I’m back at the endodontist this week after trying antibiotics, but this made no difference. None of several doctors said I had an infection. He says the only reason I’d now feel pain is the nerve tissue was “possibly” not all removed. He says perio and occulsion are OK. I don’t think it is an incomplete root canal as this began long before the root canal. I am left wondering about cement sensitivity and if that is possible, I don’t want a second root canal or extraction which may not be needed. How do I evaluate this further with the right expert?
The dentist can not tell anything for sure. It has been two weeks since my crown. I know it’s not the tooth. There is no tooth sensitivity. I started some neck exercises and took some cannibus to relax. It’s been 24 hours and no pain. I think the nerves get disrupted from shots and then severe jaw and muscle strain from holding the mouth open so wide. I also used warm moist heat on the jaw which also helped. Think about all the trauma as the tooth is being worked on. I had the same experience for a month and a half in Dec. on the other side of my mouth but not as severe.
I got one of my upper back teeth prepared for a crown 2 weeks ago and it’s still throbbing and heat/cold sensitive. I have to take Motrin twice daily to make it through the day. Is this normal? I will not get my permanent until March 1.
I would bet money you will need a root canal, but you could still get lucky. If you are seeing gradual improvement then you might be ok. If not then root canal will likely be needed.
Hi there.. I had a crown placed on one of my molars on top about 6 yrs or so ago.. the reason why is because the tooth cracked. My dentist had trouble finding the crack, x-rays revealed nothing, and him knocking on my teeth with his instruments didn’t hurt..after about 30 mins of x rays and tapping, he did a bite test and after having me bite down multiple times I finally felt the pain I had been feeling.. He said it was possibly a crack, but he wouldn’t know for sure until the crack either got bigger, or I had the tooth ground down for a prep for a crown. at that time it could have been found that I would need a root canal, he wouldn’t know for sure until after the prep.. I decided to try and save the tooth and consented to a crown. there was indeed a crack that he found during the prep of the tooth. the tip of the drill hit the crack and caused the cracked portion to bounce off the drill, if that makes sense… He then X-rayed again and said that luckily the pulp and nerve were untouched, nothing more then a crown was needed.. I’ve had no problems since that day. Until last week. I started getting jaw pain so I went to my dentist. he X-rayed the teeth on the left side (where the crown was) and said all the teeth looked healthy, I had slight swelling and redness around the crowned tooth at that time. He said it was possible it could be a sinus infection, something I’m known for , and prescribed antibiotics and pain medication.. The pain hasn’t lessened, and I’ve never had a sinus infection present that way, and I’ve had more then my fair share of them too. Now the tooth where the crown is hurts, and pulses, when I go near it with my dental floss or my electric toothbrush the pain is pretty intense. and the gums are tender above the crown.. My question is, could it be that the original crack wasn’t fully gone and continued to spread after the crown was placed? could it take 6 yrs before nerve damage can happen.. I’m a big dental hygiene advocate, my dentist is always amazed that I never have plaque on my teeth, I’m the easiest patient when it comes to the cleaning, they never have to o much.. I floss daily, I brush with sinsidine (sp) tooth paste due to sensitivity in my teeth. brush daily and use mouthwash.
I simply cannot afford a root canal, and after having a molar on the right side crack off and was told it wouldn’t have survived a rootcanal anyway, I’m not too keen on trying a root canal with a tooth that already has a history of cracking. any advise you can give me would be great of what is going on? could it be a crack in the root? decay under the crown even though I took excellent care of it?
You don’t need to have a crack for the tooth to die. Eventually all cells die and in teeth they can give up at any time. So the trauma from 6 years ago can be enough to kill the nerve and it just took this long. If you can’t afford the root canal then I would wait a little longer to see if passes and if not or if gets really bad get the tooth extracted.
thank you for the quick reply.. I wanted to know too, why this happened? I have taken excellent care of the crowned tooth. I’ve had bi-yearly cleanings, I floss daily, I brush well, I use mouthwash and still the tooth under the crown is dying? I thought that as long as you took care of it, that the crown would protect the tooth from decay
Do you have decay? Many teeth that have crowns end up needing a root canal do not even have new decay the nerve just dies. Crowns don’t prevent the tooth from further decay. Any area of tooth exposed or even those areas slightly under the gumline can still get decay. In fact those ares are MORE prone to decay because where the crown meets the tooth is never a perfect seal so there is always bacteria hanging out there, thus more likely to get decay there. There is nothing you can do to prevent the nerve from dieing. You can take steps to decrease the likelihood of decay like proper care and proper diet and fluoride but there is no guarantees in live.
There is no obvious signs of decay that dentist can see either on X-ray or visual exam
Then it likely just died. That is common and no way for you to prevent.
Thank you. They are checking for possible root fractures. But it was sadly, dead. I had it extracted and let me say that having a tooth pulled with a crown isn’t pleasant at all. I’ve had teeth extracted before and while not my favorite thing to do nothing was as hard to handle as having that one with crown pulled
I had the tooth pulled Monday. Pain is gone but still worried about possible dry socket. I’ve followed all my dentist instructions to the letter The clot formed great and has been getting steadily white film on it. Today it looks less black and more white. Does that mean I’m getting dry socket? Is that bone showing? I have a picture but have no clue how to upload it here
Beth, my dentist tried a sedative temporary filling to calm nerves, reduce pain and avoid a root canal. I had escalating tooth pain that became permanent over the weekend. My issue seemed primarily strong clenching. After he replaced my filling with the sedative filling, there was immediate help. It is now 3 weeks after and I am still so much better. The filling was also packed between this tooth and the tooth next to it, helping the second tooth that had had a root canal and had bite pain. I am now closer to eating normally. At the visit to the eododontist – he said to tell the dentist to leave the sedative filling in a while. So the dentist is doing just that and in 3 more weeks I am scheduled to have a permanent filling. I just hope the calmed nerves stay calm after that.
the pain is lessening, thanks to 2000 MG of Amoxicillin Antibiotics for the past 5 days, but still tender when I brush (on the gum line above the tooth) and the tooth it self is still sensitive when my tooth brush hits it or any pressure is applied when I chew.. What’s really driving me nuts is that since it is crowned, there is NOTHING that they can see on X-ray with any certainty.. The crown just covers up everything. My dentist says that it’s very common to not be able to see any damage on a tooth that’s been crowned through x-ray, and that he’s been fooled more times then none with patients who’s x-rays on the crown tooth looked fine, but was packed with so much infection when he would extract or root canal the tooth. It just drives me batty that he won’t know for sure what’s going on with the tooth until he either pulls it or drills it. and then once he starts on either path I have to either follow through, or add the extraction price tag on top of the price tag of a root canal.. I’ve already spent $600 on this tooth as is.. It would tick me off to no end to spend even more and then have to have the tooth yanked anyway
No disrespect sir but what’s the point in the root canal work if most often they fail. I know people that have had many root canals done. I’d rather think it would be better to pull the tooth than go through all the expense of root canals and failed caps here the decay can grow any way. Diet is a huge part of having healthy teeth as well as good hygiene. Stay away from sugar and processed foods people. You can actually reverse an inflamed nerve root by proper diet. I’ve had tons of dental work done and now I am taking a different approach to taking care of my teeth. I’m also looking for a holistic dentist who might be more conservative in treatment. I’m on week #4 with post cap on a molar pain. I began putting a B12 sublingual tablet between the gum and tooth that hurts The pain goes away!
The success rate of root canals is very well established at around 90% for 10 years so I’m afraid you are mis-informed. However, one is certainly free to just pull the tooth and either go without or get a dental implant that has around a 90-95% 10 year success rate.
In addition to my previous comments lots of people grind their teeth. I have this problem so now I use a night guard. I’ve had Ceric crowns put on molars and then the tooth below it has a problem. My understanding is that Ceric crowns hit with much more force than a gold or other metal. Crown. Ivey had one Ceric crown filed down 3 times.
No. Cerec crowns are usually lithium disilcate and wear rates are similar.
My molar needed a crown and when they put the crown on it was way more sensitive to liquid and chewing than when i had the temp one on. But i originally came in because i thought lil piece of filling broke and i could feel slight sensitivity in the tooth. When i went in they drilled and put the temp crown on. He never gave me xrays. Then i just got the perm crown put on. im thinking he could of missed an infection maybe? Its been 4 days since i got the crown put on. Should i wait to see if it gets better? Its really sensitive to hot and cold.
A tooth that is slightly sensitive before the crown is much more likely to become an RCT after the crown. You need more time and as long as getting better every day then that is good.
When I had my crown it was sensitive to cold with temp crown only. But temp crown is very thin metal. Once the perm crown was placed and my bite adjusted, I felt nothing up until it died. I will say having a tooth pulled that has a crown on it is not the least bit pleasant.
Good day,
In December I started having pain in one of my molars. My Dentist placed mediction on it for few weeks, but the pain didn’t go away. we agreed to do a root canal. he started the root canal. he told me that there were 4 roots. while doing the root canal, part of my toot cracked (while chewing food). Basically half the tooth was gone. My dentist said that we will be able to save the tooth(the remaining part). he finished the root canal. then placed a base (Don’t exactly know what it was called) where the cracked part was. then he finally placed a crown on the tooth. the tooth still hurts. Should I wait for the crown to set in, or there is something else wrong with the job he has donw?
I would appreciate your response.
Cracks are tough to deal with because they are unpredictable. I have had teeth I thought would never be able to be saved that have lasted for 10+ years and counting and I have others that I didn’t think would be an issue at all that then later needed an extraction. What I often do on iffy teeth is prepare it for a crown and permanently bond on a temporary tooth. Then leave it for a year or so. I charge a small fee for this, usually around $150, and if it works I put that money towards the final crown. If it doesn’t then the person didn’t spend all the money of the final crown on it.
Thanks for such a quick response.
Would the process of doing a root canal cause the teeth to crack or break?
my dentist did the root canal in 3 sessions. after the first two sessions, my tooth cracked while I was eating a cookie.
Also now that the process is done, and the final crown has been placed, do you think the crack is the main cause of the pain, or the root canal wasn’t done properly?
should I wait few days for the crown/teeth to settle in or see my dentist again?
And again, thanks for your quick response.
My money would be on the crack. It is unfortunate but it happens. And the worst part about it is it usually happens right after someone has just gone through the time and expense of a root canal. I’ve had patients get root canals and then crowns and then have the crack become worse a few months later and hurts again. That’s even worse for everyone involved.
Thanks very much for your response.
Through X-rays a crack was identified and told I needed a crown. I got a 2nd opinion who concurred, so I had the crown done. #30 molar. I’ve had ongoing pain and had 2 adjustments with my dentist. Pain was so bad in the beginning that it would wake me up and keep me up at night. It settled into more of just an irritation, except when I eat – that is still a sharp shooting pain. Now 3 months later I still cannot eat on that side of my mouth. New X-rays show a gap in the crown (like maybe some of the cement washed out) and a tap test on the tooth proved more than unpleasant. Dentist said that there is no infection, but I have a high reaching pulp, and it’s likely irritated and starting to die, recommends root canal and a replacement crown. This information from my dentist sounds right. Looking for validation that 3 months is long enough to wait for it to settle down? This should be my course of action at this point?
Dentist is right. Listen to them.
My previous dentist retired and I had to find a new one. Went to the new one and he did a crown on a tooth that had a large filling and some new decay. I was shocked to have his assistant fit the temporary (she had a tremendous amount of difficulty doing this and even with nitrous it was excruiatingly painful). My previous dentist did all the work with the assistance of his dental assistant. Now I am experiencing sharp pain when I drink anything cold. Is this normal? I never had this with previous crowns. I do not return for the permanent crown for a few weeks.
It’s normal in many states to have the assistant make the temp. It is in Illinois and my assistants make most of the temps. It is not unusual for teeth to become sensitive in the situation you are describing. It is not unusual for teeth like that to end up needing a root canal after we prepare it. You need to wait awhile before you know for sure but a root canal is a definite possibility based on your description.
I had a crown placed about 8 months ago. I do not have pain, I have sensitivity. I do not chew on that side of my mouth. If it isn’t painful, should I wait it out and see if the sensitivity subsides?
You can but I wouldn’t. After that long you need someone to look at it.
thank you so much for the reply! I will have it looked at again.
Had a tooth extracted Monday simple extraction when am I out of the woods for developing dry socket
3 days after
Last July, I had gum lengthening, root canal, a post and ceramic crown put on. The Crown fell off two weeks later and tooth hurt. After the frown was off for a month, the tooth felt fine as it was. However, the endodonist did a redo of the root canal to insure I wouldn’t have pain? Following the re-do of the root canal, a new carbon fiber post was put in and then the Dentist ground down the tooth for the second crown. It seem the Debtis ground off a lot of what was left of the tooth. She then put on the new ceramic crown. Now, seven months later, if I floss or water pick between the new crown, it feels like I hitting raw nerv and the pain is bad. The gun seems to swell and the root area hurt for two or three days. I treat it with peroxide until the pain quotes down. My belief is the dentist took off too much tooth and the ceramic crown is sitting into the gum tissue and when I floss or waterpick, it causes the tissue to hurt bad. I normally have no pain if Zi nite down in the crown. But once I floss and waterpick it hurts like crazy. Thoughts?
Sounds like they were trying everything to save this tooth and maybe in retrospect should have just thrown in the towel and given up on it. My guess would be tooth is fractured, the contact between the crown and other teeth is open (meaning floss doesn’t snap through but falls through), or you need even more aggressive crown lengthening.
I had a root canal done about 5 years ago. Due to certain life events I was unable to have a crown put on. Two weeks ago I was able to have a temporary crown put in. It was perfect, no pain, no issues whatsoever. Then about 2 weeks after that I had a permamant crown put in. While removing the temporary crown my post “fell out”., i was advised this happens sometimes. The dentist put in a new post and said that the crown “still fit”. There were no xrays done to confirm there was no other damage from the post falling out. The next day i was in some pain, which came and went. At night the pain was really bad, there is a lot of pressure an my gum looks inflamed/purpleish on the inside of my mouth. It has now been 4 days and the pain is still there, eapecially at night. I also notice that when I floss there is a bump of where the crown ends and the root begins, almost as if the crown is too narrow. Is the crown not fitted correctly? The pain is more like a burning/pressure feeling.
Go have someone else look at it. Usually an x-ray is taken to confirm fit.
If after a crown is placed, and the the only pain that continues after several months is bite pressure pain, and you can’t eat on that side, is that alone a reason for a root canal? Assuming the dentist and second opinion have no other options.
Yes but the tooth may have a crack that nothing can help and unfortunately there may not be any good way to tell you that with 100% confidence.
Question: it’s been six days after my crown. i’m experiencing pain 2-3 out of 1-10. What steps will the dentist take to determine my problem ? will an X-ray show nerve damage or will he have to remove crown and check ?
That’s fairly normal. X-rays won’t give any information for a long time.
Thanks for providing advice in this manner. It is really helpful.
Would you mind clarifying (re your response to Art) what part is normal –experiencing the pain after six days or removing the crown?
I ask because my dentist put a crown in two weeks ago and I still feel some pain when I chew hard foods (I can manage soft foods). I also feel sensitivity to cold beverages and foods. Is two weeks too long a period for this discomfort to be persisting? Or should I wait longer to see if it diminishes ?
Normal for a low level of pain. It should be slowly getting better over time. If seeing improvement over time then no worries
Went to dentist. She scheduled me for a deep cleaning to see if that resolves crown pain. I’m doubtful though. Hurts when I floss crown or even use water pick low power. When I press side of crown I have pain. Pain comes and goes during the day. Should I just go back and complain some more and not wait for deep cleaning. Your thoughts ?
Might be worth trying the deep cleaning. Hard to say for sure though but a deep cleaning is a more conservative method.
It’s been 4 days since I had my root canal and I’m still in pain. Is this normal?
Not abnormal. Should start to get better everyday.
Hello,
Seems like you are actively responding to questions. Appreciate you taking the time to do so. Very informative.
My scenario was I am a severe grinder, far back molar got sensitive when I ate anything. Dr said I needed a crown. Had crown installed. The temporary crown phase was very comfortable. When permanent crown was installed I was very sensitive to cold, decided to give it a couple of weeks for my gums, nerves, etc to calm down and sensitivity and discomfort did subside. Now all of a sudden out of nowhere my crown started hurting, nothing excruciating but definite pain. Is this normal??
Sounds like heading to a root canal. Grinders often break or crack teeth. By the time they get sensitive putting a crown on it is not always successful. You need a crown so it is always the first step as it is more conservative.
Hello. A large chip fell off the side of my molar 8 weeks ago and i started experiencing dull throbbing pain, taking tylonel 4 to 5 times a day. Xrays looked fine, dentist put temporary crown and finally new crown which didn’t fit. So is about to replace it this week. I stiĺl take 4 to 5 Tylenol per day for the dull pain from the tooth that extends up to the ear. So, I worry that when she finishes the crown work , the pain will still be there because it originated when I I initially chipped the tooth. Do you think I might need a root canal? Even though my gums look fine and exrays show nothing. Is this a nerve problem?
Root canals are needed based on clinical symptoms as much as any on the xray. Continues pain means you need a root canal. Some settle down but if it hurting for weeks at a time then you almost certainly need a root canal in addition to the crown. Ask your dentist, they will usually run some tests like putting something cold on the tooth.
Hello, I recently broke an old filling on a back molar about a month ago. The dentist fixed it and put a temporary crown. I went back with pain, a different dentist sealed the bottom because it wasn’t covered properly. I wasn’t sure if it was that tooth or the one next to it. She blew air on it and it hurt really bad. She sealed it and I was fine. Had my permenant crown put on having the same issues again. Dentist says it’s just over sensitive and needs time to settle down. It’s been a month and It still hurts to even brush it. Anything touching the bottom. The two teeth forward from it are also very sensitive, there is a small space between the crown and my gums and if I touch it with my nail it hurts, and so do the other two. Cold makes them all throb, may my crown be too short? And causing sensitivity to the others? And why are my other teeth so sensitive now? I’m taking ibuprofen and also being awaken my pain. Teeth do not hurt when biting down, just cold or brushing. Confused.
Maybe get an opinion from someone not at that office. And try someone that is out of network, they are more expensive but many times you get what you pay for. Since you just need an opinion won’t be too expensive.
A tooth with crown has bite – pressure pain. Only symptom. Root canal made no change. No infection. Later a dentist said possible sinus issue, thin separation and area could be bruised.
At the beginning, the tooth had been sharply rocked when dental assistant tried removing temp crown (dentist cut it off). I heard crunching and felt pain. 3D x-ray shows nothing specific and I understand it would not show hairline crack. 3 months later, chewing is now more a discomfort than sharp pain with only firmer food chewed on other side.
Is sinus bruising likely, is that common, how might this play out?
Sounds like crack to me. Very tough to diagnosis until crack is bad.Cracked tooth
Hi, glad I found this site! I hope you can alleviate my worries!
I had severe pain under a 10 year old root canal and crown that turned out to be an infection (diagnosed via X-ray). My dentist destroyed the old crown, re-did the root canal and put in a new post and build up. To that point all pain had subsided. Today, I had the new crown fitted and it felt great, for about an hour. Now I have pain along the jaw top and bottom (the treated tooth is a top left molar). Could it be that because I didn’t have a temp crown for 2 weeks (just a gap) that the pressure is aggravating something? He adjusted the bite and it definitely doesn’t feel too high at all.
How does it feel now? If starting to settle down then no worries, if getting worse may be an issue.
I had a crown yesterday over a tooth already heavily filled. Was told nerve damage could occur but root canal not possible. Teeth hurt a bit whilst waiting for the crown but put on anyway in hope it would settle. I’m now in agony. Solution is to remove the tooth. I can’t cope with the current pain. Is it likely to improve or should I go tomorrow and have it taken out???? Help.
Get another opinion.
Hello. I was having some jaw pain olso I was afraid I was going to be losing another tooth. I called my dentist so he had me come in to take a look. It is my left top back molar and he said he could save it. I was already planned for a crown on that tooth so he went ahead and did it. He gave me no indication I would need a route canal. It’s been almost 2 weeks and I’m still having some discomfort. Not really sensitive to heat or cold and the gums aren’t sensitive. Just kind of a dull pain in the tooth. It doesn’t really hurt to chew, but I know the tooth is uneven and my bite is a tad off. I’m curious if I will need a route canal after all or if this is normal for the discomfort. It was a large cavity and the crown appointment was pretty uncomfortable.
Sorry that is really not enough info to tell you much. It sounds like you are in a gray zone where you may end up needing one but no one will be able to give you a definite answer yet.
I had a root canal done 2 months ago today. I felt fine afterwards. The Endodontists explained I could possibly need crown lengthening. My dentist stated he had not heard good success rates about crown lengething and thought I would be able to get by without it. My dentist placed the temporary crown 6 days after my root canal. I had some soreness, but it was well managed with ibuprofen. However, I had my permanent crown put on 2 weeks ago and the pain is getting worse. My gums are extremely sensitive to even gently brush and the tooth just aches and sends sharp pains (what feels like all the way down to my jaw bone). I still cannot eat anything on that side. The tooth isn’t hitting as I can clearly see light through the other side when I use my flashlight. I have tried to endure the pain but I am beginning to become concerned that it’s getting worse not better. I would greatly appreciate your advice on this as I do not want to be a bother to my dentist if this is normal. If you could also shed some light on what the crown lengthening procedure is and if you recommend it I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you in advance for your time.
I’m not sure what you are doing with a flashlight but that is a waste of time. Go back to your dentist. Sometimes teeth shift slightly after a new crown and a space opens in between and food gets in and hurts. You can test this with Glide floss. It should snap through, if it doesn’t then that is your issue. I’ve personally rarely found the need to do crown lengthening so I’m sure I would agree with your dentist.
What is a crown lengthening? When is it needed? Is is just extending or changing the shape of a crown with composite filling or something?
Hello, I recently had a root canal done 2 weeks ago on a horizontal cracked molar. The dentist said I had two options either I have a root canal to try and save the tooth OR extraction. I right away went for an extraction, but he convincined me to get a root canal to try and save the tooth. I went ahead with the root canal and had a crown put in less than a week ago. The right side of my jaw is very sensitive to presume (I’m thinking it’s the crack) when biting down on foods. Just yesterday, my right side of my face it warm and my ear aches. When the dentists performed the root canal he said there was a small infection and treated it with antibiotics. When I went back to see the dentists for the crown, he opened up the tooth again and confined there were no signs of infection and he airigated the tooth. Should I allow more time for it to heal??? I just don’t want an infection to form.
Double check bite is right
Doctor, I need one more advice. Second opinion confirmed that I have a crack in my tooth because it hurts when I bite at appropriate angle. X-ray did not show any inflamed roots. During second opinion endodontist asked to bite plastic thing to determine where pain is coming from. The next day I felt this tooth on and off.
Right now it settled down more or less. Should I proceed with doctors’ advice and install a crown? Or should I just do root canal up front to avoid drilling through crown in future? Or this is a wrong way to pursue – to do root canal beforehand? What would you do?? Thank you very much in advance!
Get the crown and leave it in a temporary for longer (couple months maybe) then if you feel ANYTHING do the root canal.
Doctor, I did exactly as you advised! Put on temporary crown – strong pain – did root canal (this is #14 tooth). Was hanging out with temporary crown until root canal healed – then put on permanent crown. Everything was all right for about another 2-3 weeks. And now I feel pain again when I push on it! Showed up to my dentist. He checked and polished tooth but said that I need to get back to root canal doctor.
I scheduled for Monday. What to expect?! I am devastated. I spent $1500 for root canal and $1300 for the crown. Plus consultations. Plus sufferings. Does this mean that I need to expect tooth extraction and implant? ((
Sir, I have got gum line decay in all my chewing tooth on both the sides. I got it filled but fillings are getting removed. My dentist has suggested to do root canal along with crowns for all the decayed tooths. Sir, I am little worried that whether crowns can be safe throughout life. Or still the tooths will start decaying under the crowns also.
Get a second opinion.
Sorry sir, I could not understand. Can u please explain me
Go visit another dentist and see what they think. The issues you describe need to be seen in person and something doesn’t sound quite right.
Doctor, I have one more question! 2 months ago (!) I did root canal. The sharp pain is gone. But when I am tapping on the tooth with tooth brush or doctor with instrument I feel pretty sensitive steady not too sharp pain. Doctor who did root canal said that ligaments are hurting and have more patience, wait.
Second opinion root canal doctor said that socket is painful, wait. My dentist put in permanent filling but we are waiting with putting on a crown. How long to wait? If the situation does not improve, what endodontist can possibly do? Xray shows perfectly done root canal? I am lost. Thank you very much!
Did anyone do a 3D xray yet? Some teeth have anatomy that can never be fully cleaned and thus they are never perfect. I would get 3D xray and then if nothing weird shows up then decide to either get a crown knowing that it’s possible it will have issues or just give up on tooth and keep until breaks and get an implant.
I got a crown on January 10th. The reason for the crown was an old childhood filling had cracked, but it didn’t make sense to replace the filling as it was about 70% of the tooth. Since getting the crown I have had cold sensitivity. I never had any sensitivity on that tooth before, even though the filling was cracked. I have two other crowns and this type of sensitivity has never happened before. The dentist ‘s office said to wait a bit but it’s now April and it’s still sensitive to cold. What’s strange is it’s not all the time. Sometimes I can eat something cold and it’s fine. Other times it’s bad. The other day I was breathing in cold hair outside through my mouth as I had a stuffy nose. The cold air on the crown hurt worse than eating something cold. Is it likely it needs a root canal?
Chances are you need one but you could probably get by without for a long time, you would have to deal with the pain though so unless money is tight just do the root canal and be done with it.
Thank you!
Just to clarify, when you say I could get by for a long time. Wouldn’t it make things worse if I wait? I certainly don’t have money to blow right now so waiting would be ideal, but I dont want to wait and make things even worse.
Maybe. That is the chance you take. So right now the tissue inside the tooth is inflamed and you feel it as pain when something hot or cold touches it. One of two things will happen (how quickly is anyone’s guess). The tissue inside will calcify and eventually there will be so little tissue left you won’t feel anything. As long as that tissue stays alive you are all good. however, if it calcifies and you need a root canal later in life it will be harder to complete. The second thing that can happen is the tissue can die and the pain will go away, for awhile. Once it dies it will eventually get infected and the success rate of a root canal drops. There is no right answer because no one knows for sure if the tissue will live or die or how quickly.
Really appreciate your answers on this blog. Good to hear explained how something might play out, to help decisions. People need a second informed opinion like this, maybe more! Also appreciate having risks explained, and that sometimes one can not be sure of an outcome. And there are choices, some might be better than others.
Thank you again for taking time to explain. It’s very helpful to get a free second opinion instead of jumping from dentist to dentist just to get some answers. Much appreciated.
Hello
I got 2 crowns done 5 days ago, one of them is sensitive too hot and cold and hurts when I tap on the tooth with my finger however, prior to the dentist putting on the crown he blew air on the tooth and it didn’t hurt.
Why are you tapping it with your finger? Just stop that. The temperature sensitivity could be bite related so go back and see dentist if not getting better.
Hello, have a question. I had a root canal done a couple of years ago on tooth #3 and I just now got a temporary crown put on it last week (I know I shouldn’t have waited, but I had a lot of work done at the time and there was too much to tackle at once.) The tooth was doing absolutely fine and pain free up until I had the temp put on. It wa sore for the first day after but then started intermittently throbbing. The pain continued for a couple days to the point that I couldn’t sleep and I went back to the dentist. I was told it’s possible that some cement had gotten under the tooth and caused and inflammatory reaction in the gums. The area was cleaned out and the temp was reapplied. After that the tooth was fine for the first day and again the throbbing started intermittently. It has been this way for a couple days now. The tooth is very cold sensitive, but does not hurt right away with cold. It takes about 20 seconds to hurt and then throbs for a couple of minutes. At this point I’m guessing it’s going to need a root canal retreat and I have an upcoming appointment, but I would greatly appreciate any comments or advice.
Cold sensitivity is not a likely symptom of a tooth that had a root canal. Here are a few things I would be thinking if you were in my chair. I would test all the teeth in the area for cold sensitivity. Working on one tooth has the unfortunate effect of sometimes make a nearby tooth that is borderline all of a sudden flare up. So first would be to rule out that the pain is in fact #3. Next, and this is by far the most likely issue, is it something to do with the temporary; bite too high, temporary cement bothering gums, bad fitting temp bothering gums, contact between temp and teeth open and food getting stuck in between and irritating the gums. Finally on to the tooth – did it fracture – maybe but unlikely. Did they get all the anatomy in the first root canal? Tooth #3 almost always has 4 canals and most dentists have been trained only 3 exist (I was in school). The fourth one is tiny and hard to clean but is the #1 reason for failure. You can see what 4 canals of a root canal look like here If only 3 were filled the fourth could possibly be feeling cold and be what is causing your problem, but I doubt it. My guess would be what they guessed and cement or something from temp crown.
Hi,
I have a question as well. My back two bottom molars on the left side each have crowns on them, as one cracked last year due to a previous deep filling and the other one also had an extensive and deep filling my dentist said would likely soon weaken and potentially crack. He said I should go ahead and get the crown done with the presently cracked one. One of them had a root canal on it, but not the other, as it wasn’t causing me pain or any other issue. During the filing down of one of the teeth for the crown, the furthest back caused me extreme pain. I went through two rounds many shots a piece to try and get it numbed and I heard him saying that he hoped my root wasn’t fractured because it wouldn’t be good. Eventually after many shots directly onto the gum where it met the tooth, it was numb enough to continue and suffer through it, but still mildly painful. He said he thinks it was just a “hot tooth.” Now it is a year later and I have both of my crowns, and each are causing me different amounts of pain. The one closest to the back with the numbing troubles only really hurts when I press on it on the particular spot I was having trouble with still feeling pain in during the filing down of my tooth, and while a semi sharp pain that goes far down and doesn’t linger, it never really bothers me because I don’t feel it when I chew or otherwise, just if I specifically press on it with my finger on that spot. However, the tooth in front of it has now begun to hurt as well. Around the gum side closest to my cheek is achey, and the tooth itself aches off and on with varying intensity as well. It is also very sensitive to cold and sugary things, such as chocolate or icing. But, I also have noticed the bite on this side of my mouth is higher than the other, or my teeth meet on this side first, and my other side barely meets at all when I shut them. I also grind my teeth sometimes at night. My question is, do you believe the current pain could simply be my high bite and I should get it adjusted, as it’s taken about a year to get like this? Or do you think I should see someone about the potential of a cracked or fractured root for my back one? It’s stayed on my mind after hearing my dentist say it, and worries me a lot as I do not want it to worsen to an abscess, as that is what initially happened after a deep filling and caused excruciating pain leading to the root canal then to the crown. Any advice you would give, I’d be grateful. Thank you.
I think the other tooth may need a root canal. If one tooth gets sensitive like that it makes the others around it hurt. That is the most likely issue. Go back to your dentist and they can run a test and possibly tell for sure.
I had a temporary crown put on 5 days ago. The dentist told me I would be a sore because he had to go so close to the gum line. The pain has still persisted. Sometimes it will subside with Advil and Oragel but at other times it hurts so bad it can wake me out of a sleep. It especially hurts after talking for a great deal which is what my job entails. Should I go back to see the dentist or could this just be part of the healing process? I am unsure if its just taking me a little more than a few days or if I should be concerned
If getting better everyday probably ok. If not getting better go back on Mon or Tu
I have had 2 crowns put on on teeth 1 and 17. After having pain in each I was sent to a specialist, because I have long, small, curved roots. Unfortunately I am still having pain and bleeding at the gum space in between those teeth and their neighbors, where there is more space than there was previously. My dentist has adjusted the bite and the xrays look fine, so he has been at a loss to explain why. Any insight is appreciated.
Clarification, Last crown has been on for 9 months.
Are you sure that the contacts between the teeth is still tight? By that I mean does the floss have to snap through? It is not uncommon for a space to open up in between the last two teeth when the last one gets a crown. Food gets wedged in and it hurts.
There isn’t really contact between the teeth, no.
Great forum and thanks in advance for your answer. I had a 10yo crown with no pain and it popped off one evening while flossing. After seeing my dentist and having him inspect the area, he said it was clean and all i would have to do is have it re-cemented. after 7 days, the pain was excruciating and getting worse each day. i went back to the dentist and he suggested an adjustment bc he thought it might be sitting high. After grounding down the tooth in spots that were high, my bite is feeling better, but the pain remains. Could a small crown out of alignment cause pain so deep it feels like my tooth is about to pop and my jaw hurts? or is a root canal in my near future?
How long was the crown out for? If less than a week the bite should be exactly the same. I would be concerned the crown was never a good fit to begin with and or it was not put back on properly. It doesn’t hurt to get a second opinion when something odd like that happens. Sometimes there is no good answer though and yes a crown being high can make a tooth really hurt.
Hi!
I had a root canal retreatment on the second upper molar, everything was fine, no pain everything was good
Last tuesday they put me a porcelain crown, this saturday I feel like pressure and I bite and it appears a little discomfort… ¿that is common? I mean why does it started to cause some discomfort until saturday? I thought that if there was any kind of pain or discomfort would be like immediately… Today I went to the dentist and she told me that maybe it was high so she worked on my molar. This type of “pain” ¿what is? Again the retreatment is done incorrectly? I have an infection? my mouth needs to heel? Or is just like the normal process when you put a crown ?
I´m really worried, I dont want an implant I want my natural teeth.
thanks!!
Your dentist is almost certainly right that the bite is slightly high. It is fairly common to have that occur and the symptoms match yours.
Thanks!!
One more question: Because of the retreatment my second molar is very small I think that is because they have to file the tooth more than usual because of the retreatment.
the back part of the retreated tooth is so small that is very near to the gum where my 3rd molar used to be …I hope I´m explaining well
Is that a future problem? for example the food can be trapped between that space ? because sometimes I notice that it smells bad, but after brushing my mouth the smell dissappear
Thanks for the quick response. The crown was never off for more than 5 minutes at a time – only to brush the area clean. It was a bottom molar, and the fit was snug to begin with so i placed it back into position after it popped off and it was comfortable. i saw the dentist 2 days later. My thinking was very similar to what you said, there was no pain before the crown popped off, so it should have been a simple re-cement job…. but it’s now excruciating pain to the point that i’m popping advils like they’re potato chips (not really, but you know what i mean). I’m seeing an endodontist tomorrow for a second opinion. I just don’t want a large root canal bill for something that can be avoided. Thanks.
Hey Dr. , thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. I got a temporary crown placed and it’s been 8 days. I went back yesterday due to intermittent throbbing pain (didn’t wake me up at night but constant and irritating/giving me headaches, also this is the upper left molar) and the doctor reported the bite was off/too high? And he fixed it for me. Today at work, the pain begin to throb again & it was quickly relieved with Advil. I called my dentist & he said if it was really that bad I should go to his Endodontist. He also called in a steroid for me for the pain. I have yet to take it.
I was wanting another opinion because a consultation with the endodontist was costing me a lot more money. I went to another general dentist (previous one I feel like I can trust) who looked at all my x rays, took a couple more of her own at no charge, and did some kind of cold q-tip testing to check for the root canal. She told me my results were WNL. i did not have much pain with the tapping/pressing down at all and the pain with whatever cold topical she put on my tooth went away very quickly/only felt it in one area which she reported resulted in my WNL results.
My plan now is to go back next week and put on the permanent crown with temporary cement. That way, if i need the root canal after all/If the pain gets worse, they can easily remove it, perform the root canal, and place it back without drilling through the new crown.
My question to you is, does this sound like a typical RCT to you? I am fearful that it is indeed needing RCT despite the WNL results. I took 400 mg of Advil around 12:30 pm. And didn’t need more until around 9ish pm tonight. Don’t know what to think. Thank you again for taking the time to read this post.
Sounds like you have the right plan and all the dentists you spoke with are right on.
Also, I grind my teeth. I have not been wearing my night guard due to the adjustment needed. I think the guard is fitting too tightly & The pressure bothers me. The dentist said he can adjust my guard after the crown comes in if need be. Thanks again
Yes that may be it. We often have to adjust the night guard after a new crown
Thank you for the quick reply. You are very generous to dedicate your time to answer us all. Take care.
I reached out earlier but forgot to add this part, I will condense the story quickly
I have had intermittent throbbing pain of my upper left molar since placement of my temporary crown a week ago which has been easily controlled with OTC meds. I went back to the dentist who says it looks fine on xray, shaved it down some, and told me I would need a potential root canal if my symptoms get worse. I went to another dentist for a 2nd opinion and she did the percussion test, pressed down on it, and also did the endo ice test. Everything was within normal limits, I did not experience much pain, however, I am just now realizing I took 2 advils 5 hours prior to the visit. Could this have skewed my results? I didn’t need any meds today until around 5:30 pm when the throbbing began again. I took two aleve and the pain disappeared after around 10-15 mins. Thank you for your insight!
I had a tooth reduced to make way for a crown. This tooth and the one above it are smaller now. They both seem to have a flat top. The side of my tongue is right where the teeth meet, and the tongue edge gets a little pinched when chewing sometimes.
Should the filling be reshaped to stop the pinch?
You have a filling or a crown? Go back to your dentist and tell them this as it should not happen.
I went last Friday to my dentist I got a root canal.and I went in yesterday so they can put the crown.is it normal that it hurts when I eat on that side .
Yes
In 2007 I had a root canal and a crown put in my upper left side. On easter sunda
On easter my crown broke off. I went to my dentist he put in a new post and I need a new crown. Ive been having pain on the gums where the new crown will be in. I coherently have a temporary. Is this normal? Ive been taking aleve and a cream that they gave me. Thank you.
Maybe. Sometimes the gums don’t like temporary crowns much and are irritated by them.
I had temporary crowns put on my front 2 teeth today. The dentist said she wasn’t going to glue them because they were on tight and did not move when she pulled on them. Is that normal? Also I was wondering if a throbbing pain is normal for first day?
Could be normal. Impossible for me to say. Sorry can’t be of much help on this one.
Went to the a dentist to get my teeth check and they told me I needed a crown, root canal, and wisdom teeth pulled. Went to a new dentist and then did a cold test on the tooth and ensured me i didnt need a root canal. While they were drilling they found the cavity was a bit bigger than expect and filled the tooth up. The filling would reduce over a month or so and they said i needed a crown. Got the crown but I have always had a slight pain. It probably been 2 months now. When i when back to the dentist I told them it was how i was down, i thought, so ask if maybe it could be adjusted. My dentist just quit and had a new one and asked if he could trim a little of the other teeth down, i said sure not thinking to much into it and that was probably a mistake. Just got my wisdom teeth taken out over a week ago, and enjoying that i can finally eat on the other side of my mouth. The issue now is that the crown is hurting a bit more than before, which as caused me to mess with it. Gets bothered moving it around, and before I could eat nuts on it with little discomfort and now the pain is even greater. Its almost like the pain has never truely went away. So not sure if I need the crown reduced or if I may need a root canal. I will be asking the surgeon what he thinks next week but just want some advice.
Find a place where the dentists don’t come and go all the time. That is a recipe for disaster but is how most corporate owned practices work.
Greetings Sir,
I had been going to my dentist at least once every two weeks for the past 3-4 months now because we were switching all my silver fillings to white fillings and fixing the cracks i had in my back teeth… I have to say I didn’t take care of my teeth well so, I deserve this. Till we hit the second to last tooth on the bottom left where she said there’s cavity and she need’s to replace the filling and remove it… and then she digs in too deep and tells me that the cavity is too deep and she needs to put on a crown, so I agree.
We put the temporary tooth.. It was so painful where I couldn’t drink any cold water or eat on that side thinking it’ll pass away.. she puts the perm crown on and the problem still existed… so she took the tooth off and redid the crown thinking there might have been a bubble of air or something trapped in there.. so we put the temp on and it was still painful but just bearable. when she put the perm on (for the second time) it was still painful and the pain has increased to the point where i can only drink warm (on the hot side) of water or can only bite there very very slowly, do you think this is a referred pain or is it a sign i need a root canal? this is my 4th crown (the first three was unfortunately a case of fraud, the dentist never actually out perms on and all three crowns feel off, imagine the pain)
The dentist I am at right now is really nice and she genuinely seems like she cares for her patients (including I) and told me that visibly she can’t see anything wrong.
That’s a lot of remaking of crowns!
She sent me to a specialist telling me I can either live with it or get a root canal, biting I can only do soft foods and I can’t keep cold beverages in my mouth for long, I’m taking pain killers every 8 hours.
what do you think?
Get root canal.
Sir i got root canal and crown on my both mandibular anterior about 6 years ago . Since few days i have slight pain in them .could it be infection ??
Yes it could. Or what’s left of the tooth could be broken. Get a dentist to look at it.
Its infection ,my dentist recommended bone grafting
What should I do???
He said u need bone grafting
I asked him will i get an implant 😖?
He said no
So what is it basically
I cant find anything on internet 😅
My dentist also prescribed ciprofloxacin +timidazole for 5 days
I have had strong bite / pressure pain on a tooth starting right away after a temp crown was placed. And was replaced. If that goes on for a month and is consistent, is that reason enough for a root canal on a molar, without temp sensitivity? Everyone says no infection.
Yes.
Hi Dr. Bryan, your post is very helpful. Thank you! I had a crown on the lower molar less than 2 years ago and it broke recently. So I went back to the same dental place (not the same dentists) to replace it with a new crown. I felt no pain or nothing after they placed the temporary crown on. But one day after they took off the temp crown and put on the permanent crown, I start to feel intensive pain on that teeth to the point that I had hard time falling asleep. It gets worse when I drink or eat warm stuff. I used to feel sensitivity on that teeth when I have cold drink. I guess it’s likely due to the crack on my old crown that eventually cause the crown to break. So I went back yesterday and they did the biting test and it was fine. They also told me there’s no sign of inflammation but it’s likely due to nerve damage. So they referred me to get a root canal. But I don’t understand why it was all fine until they put the permanent crown on? Does it mean that the procedure of putting the primary crown on damage the nerve? Or it’s already damaged before they took off the broken crown. If so, then why they didn’t suggest me to do a root canal before put the new crown on?
Let me guess, you went to chain corporate dental office and they make the crowns in the office while you wait. You will likely need a root canal now. If they milled the crown while you waited and they drill through it, then it likely won’t last long. Find a dental office where the dentist’s name is on the door, it may seem to cost more per procedure but your overall cost will often be less. For instance you are less likely to have a crown that breaks that quickly and less likely to them need a root canal.
I recently went in to have an old (25 year old) crown replaced since I’m older now and my gums have receded leaving a gap between the top of the tooth and old crown. The dentist had to drill the old crown off, first vertically in the front and then vertically through the back until the crown popped off. However, once the crown was removed, she said that my nerve was exposed, no decay, just exposed nerve (tooth #10). I personally think she drilled too much and into the tooth causing the nerve to be exposed. She performed a root canal on the tooth, that day just cleaned it out and put cotton in it and temp crown. I went back in 2 weeks and she set the post and filler and a new temp crown but took the mold to have the new crown made. A few days before my next appointment which was 2 weeks from the last, I felt a pressure sensation above the tooth that she worked on. She got me in and took an xray and there looked to be a darker spot showing at the root barely visible. She put me on antibiotics (2nd round, 1st at the time of the initial root canal) and ibruprofen 800 and put my new crown on with temp cement. The pressure sensation only got worse, and now I had a lump on the top of my gums (way up there where the gums meet the inside of my lip) without a pimple. The dentist got me back in and took another xray and now theres a clear dark spot above the end of the root. She decided to open up the root canal. Getting numbed up directly into that lump was excruciating! I don’t think she got all the fill and a piece of metal from the rotary tool she was using broke off. After another xray she felt that she was able to puncture thru the fill and removed the metal piece. However, I have no relief. The lump is still the same, the pressure is still there and I don’t feel like anything has drained. I did not have any decay on this tooth. Why is this not getting any better? All because I wanted a new crown so I wouldn’t get a cavity in that space from my gums receding. Anyhow, the dentist left the canal open and gave me a syringe to flush it out all the time after I eat. I am going back to her today so she can take more xrays and see what else can be done. I can’t lose this tooth! It’s in the front of my mouth! Unfortunately my new dental insurance that just takes affect today does not cover anything major for 6 months. I don’t know what to do!! It’s not painful but the swelling is annoying and it itches almost as if I have a popcorn kernel stuck in my gums.
Sounds like things did not go well and you need another in person opinion. Having a file separate during a root canal can happen but it is very unusual for it to happen on #10. Go see someone else for a consult.
Wow, free advice? Awesome. Broke off a piece of molar over a year ago, no pain. Tooth was fine other than missing section. I went proactively to dentist to evaluate for crown to save it before it broke more or began trending to root canal.
He did the crown (at $1650) stating that he should be able to do it, but after two days it began to hurt. I managing with ibuprofen but the pain returns. Am I screwed? 🙂
Strong possibility. Not fixing a broken tooth for over a year is a long time. They break because of decay or a crack which continues to get worse until we intervene.
Got my permanent crown in last week with temp cement. (Just in case i end up needing a root canal) i have absolutely no pain with my crown on unless i chew food on that side. I went to my dentist today and she adjusted my bite and told me to check back in a week. Is this normal? What could it be?
Yes normal. Probably very borderline for need of root canal. It may go away on it’s own but how much do you want to go through to find out? A root canal will get rid of that pain almost always.
Hello Dr. Bauer. Thank you for offering guidance here on your page. My situation is I had a root canal and crown in 2010 by my regular dentist. In 2012 it failed. I was out of town at the time and ended up in the ER on a Saturday night with terrible pain and a swollen face from the infection. By Tuesday, an endodontist treated it. Now, this week, I’ve woken up a couple of mornings with pain at that tooth. Mainly biting down on that tooth would hurt, so I wonder if now I’m grinding my teeth and it’s irritating that area? The pain would subside shortly after waking, but I still would occasionally feel something was off. If I bite slowly, I feel the crown is the first tooth to hit. This morning the pain was throbbing but ibuprofen took it away, however still a bit tender when I bite down on that tooth. It’s Saturday, so I’m having to wait until Monday to make an appointment (wish i had called earlier this week!). My question is is it possible that the pain could just be the crown shifting or possible grinding? I’m desperate to not have another root canal treatment, but understand it is likely.
You will probably be losing that tooth. Mostly likely is fractured tooth root.
Hi Doctor! my teeth #14 and #15 had large metal filing about 30 yrs ago and I’m eating just fine then went to Dentist for check up and she told me that the tooth had a little crack and the crown would save my teeth so I listen to her and had the teeth crown; now it’s more than three months and I still feel hurt when eating or drinking hot water only hot. is it normal since I don’t have this problem before. Thank you
It’s normal for a tooth that needs a root canal. It means we should have done the crown years ago. But since we can never predict exactly when with these cracks we are often conservative with our recommendations.
I cracked a tooth and the tooth became very sensitive to hot and cold. The dentist decidedI I needed a crown and did not feel I would need a root canal. He gave me a temporary crown which felt great. About 10 days ago he gave me the new crown and adjusted the bite. For some reason the tooth is now again sensitive to hot and cold. What would cause the temporary crown to work so well but the permanent to have issues? Pressure is not a problem only hot and cold sensitivity.
That’s a great question and really bothers dentists too! Even the trauma of removing a temp and cementing a permanent crown can sometimes be enough to push a borderline tooth over the edge.
I had to get a crown on one of my bottom molar teeth a couple days ago and ever since four or five of my teeth next to the crown hurts for some reason. It hurt so severely that I can’t sleep at night. The crowned tooth isn’t in much pain but the teeth next to it hurts alot. Is this common?
No. Could be referred pain. Most likely gone in few more days.
I had a crown put on about 3 days ago and the pain is so bad. It hurts even when I’m not doing anything how long will this last or is something wrong
Go back to dentist.
Dr, I had two bridges done at the same time. One on the upper right, the other on the lower left. I felt that when the permanent ones went in that my bite was lowered. Want back to the Dr and he tried to convince me otherwise. I got him to replace the lower left one. Fit is very good but the last is sensitive to biting and to water injects when I do them. I am afraid maybe the glue came off it. No root canals were done on any.
The glue didn’t come off. Doing that many will change your bite and you will need some time to adapt. Water sensitivity is a sign of a tooth needing a root canal. With two bridges you would be lucky not to have any of them need a root canal.
I have a question and I would greatly appreciate your advice. I had a permanent crown placed on Monday; it’s Saturday and I still have throbing pain. I have taken Ibuprofen for couple of days, but the pain comes back. How long after the crown is placed will pain go away? Also, I’d like to share that the first dentist stated that there might be a possibility for the root canal, but won’t be determined until the crown prep is performed. Second dentist (who performed the work) did not see the need for root canal. During the preparation we had hard time getting the correct bite. When the permanent crown was made, it had to be modified a few times (I even had to go back second day) for it to feel “normal”. I feel the bite is ok now, but I am not sure what’s causing so much pain. Is the area just sensitive due to procedure (after temporary crown was taken off at the office my gums bled; I was told the area was bruised ) and I need to wait for it to heal? Is the bite still off (how can I tell if not obvious)? Or will I need to have a root canal?
Sounds like their is still a bite issue. I would check that again. Problem is teeth that go through crown procedure are already at risk of a root canal and having trouble getting bite right can send one over the edge. Good luck!
If I may add my experience. Tooth was prepared for a crown, and got temp crown. For whatever reason, the tooth immediately developed bite pressure pain (no better with the replacement temp crown). That continued for a month. Endo said it was a reason for a root canal, 2nd opinion agreed, RC was done. That did not stop bite pressure pain. I received a sedative filling on the tooth next to it as it was now a high tooth and got a persistent pain from a clenching event. The filling touched both teeth. With either time and/or the sedative filling the pain in both teeth reduced. Within a couple of days I was much better, in a week I was carefully eating on both sides.
What I think I’d look for going forward if the problem were to repeat, is look for a sedative filling (it had been given by a second dentist with the goal to avoid a second RC), or as above, ask for a temp cement on final crown and see if time make the pain go away over some reasonable time period. Hopefully avoid an RC. Maybe that depends on how painful things get?
Thanks Dr. Are you a fan of same day tooth extract and implant on the same day. By the way I opted for the bridges cause I had two teeth extracted; one upper right the other lower left. The surrounding teeth had fillings buy were fine. Should have went for the implants instead:( Also the other bridge that wasn’t replaced shows a gap on the interior side between the crown and the gum. Shouldn’t the crown get inside or rather under the gum???
Thank U sooo much.
Yes I am a fan of that but it’s not always a possibility. It’s very difficult to get perfect results like these if you don’t put implant in same day as extraction because you can better manage the tissue. That gap is not abnormal. Water under the bridge now but here are my criteria for bridge v implant.
Thank U so much Dr.
Hi Dr Bryan! I got a crown on my first molar (lower tooth) about 4 weeks ago now. After about 2 weeks I went back to dentist because it was still hurting when I chewed food on that side of mouth, also when I flossed between that crown. Two weeks later, it still hurts when I chew on that side and hurts when I floss between that crown and now even around the tooth next to it (second premolar). It doesn’t hurt at all when I bite down on teeth or move them side to side or even just at rest. Only when I chew food on that side or floss between teeth. What should I do?
Get glide floss and see if it snaps through or just falls through. It should be tight enough to the other teeth that it takes some effort to snap it through. Sounds like it may not be in which case a small filling may need to be added to the other tooth to tighten the gap. It’s not uncommon for this to occur. If not that then I don’t have a good answer for you.
My dentist convinced me to get a bridge from my wisdom tooth to tooth 30. Right now I just have a temp on, permanent one should be done beginning of june. Anyway I have had to go back multiple times to get new temps made due to them breaking or coming off, my dentist says I produce alot ot saiva so that’s why they arent staying on. This most recent temp was put on tuesday. Tuesday night after the numbing wore off i was in pain immediately but the temp was staying on at least. Its moving around a bit now but not coming off. I called on thursday to tell him I was in pain tooth 30 specifically , so he called in amoxicillin referred me to an endodontist for a root canal. I dont think I need a root canal since this temp is the first one that has caused me pain, bite has not been checked. I am going to call back monday morning and ask for it to be checked. Should I continue taking the antibiotics?
All of these are reasons why implants are often the better choice. Was there a reason you opted for a bridge over an implant? Unless you have infection then the antibiotic is being given mostly as a placebo effect. Having problems with a temporary can cause a borderline tooth to end up needing a root canal but I think you are right about the temp being the issue in this circumstance.
I was fitted for a permanent crown one week ago. My left lower molar (2nd from back) had cracked and the procedure was done from start to finish in less than 3 hours–no temporary crown ,you leave with permanent…
I have two gold crowns done by different dentists, different states; never a problem.
Severe pain from the get go with this one. Day two started taking 600mg. Ibuprofen every 8 hours. Severe pain continued into day 3 with mastoid process swelling and swelling continuing down neck. Extreme tenderness and heat in this area. Can barely turn my head.
Called dentist office on Thursday, reminded them I was going on vacation next day. I was experiencing swelling, pain, in mastoid process and going down into my neck– should I come in or go to urgent care? They called me back said it was normal just keep taking ibuprofen and piggyback with tylenol.
Fast foward, in Florida extreme swelling on left side of neck, mastoid and now going into left side of face. I went to a nurse practioner, was told I have an infection from procedure and was given 500mg amoxacillin every 8 hours plus continue 24 hour pain relief.
48 hours later am still in pain; mastoid and neck still extremely swollen. At what point does one go to the emergency room?
Oh, and food? Forget about it… I’ve been living off of protien shakes since the procedure because I’m in too much pain to chew.
Thank you for this site
That’s not normal. I would go see a dentist asap. Then go to wherever they direct you, be that ER or another dental specialist. It main be a pain to deal with on vacation but you need to do something today.
If you have a bite adjustment, dentists say your teeth will shift over 3 weeks. Do the teeth themselves move, or is it that the jaw and muscles move to find the adjusted bite? I know braces take a while to move teeth.
A little bit of both. When we redo a whole jaw the teeth move but the joint and muscles adapt. If only one tooth the tooth usually moves but in certain cases, especially the last tooth in the mouth then the joint and muscles also adapt.
Hello,
I wanted to try my luck here, so here goes:
I got a root canal extraction about 8-10 months ago and got a crown on my back molar. Initially, I had some discomfort from the crown not fitting properly. Did not have the financial or transportation freedom to take care of it, I had read that it’s possible for food to get stuck in there in such instances, so I avoided eating on that side of my mouth. With flossing and brushing, and avoiding eating on that side at all, it went away. Got to the point where I could chew comfortably on the crowned molar.
3 days ago, I had some sticky candy, next day my crowned tooth hurt upon contact with my upper teeth like the first time. I did my best to avoid eating on that side, but I seemed to have gotten bad at it, or it’s possible I might clench down on my teeth at night (which I doubt since this pain just began after all this time) or maybe I didn’t floss as thoroughly, as the sensitivity is still there when I press and I keep getting this throbbing, inflammation sensation. I compared it to the other side of my mouth on that area, and it doesn’t look inflamed, but it feels like it is. If I look down for too long, or when I lay down for bed, the pain discomfort increases.
Yesterday, I decided to floss deeper into the crowned tooth and got myself an antiseptic mouthwash (an item I had not been using until now), took some ibuprofen for the discomfort/inflammation feeling, and hoped for the best. Today I woke up with the same discomfort, not sure if maybe a little stronger, but the sensitivity of my tooth when I press down on it has gone down by a lot.
What is going on?
Go see the dentist who did the work.
Hello-
For four years I was having occasional pain in one of my lower molars when biting certain foods. I had the tooth checked multiple times but the dentist couldn’t visualize a problem. Fast forward, I moved and got a new dentist. She said I probably had a crack and recommended a crown, which I had placed about six weeks ago. The bite was slightly off and I was experiencing the same pain as before when biting, so I went back to her so she could file down the crown. In the process, she went through the porcelain to the metal. She told me this was rare but could happen and that I would need the whole crown replaced on the house because cosmetically this was unacceptable. Trouble is, even with my bite corrected, I am still having the exact same pain I had while biting BEFORE the crown but now it is WORSE and more frequent. I don’t have any pain or sensitivity other than when I bite. Once the bite is release, the pain goes away and according to x-rays, my root looks fine. Before I go back for the second crown, what would be your recommendation?
You likely do/did have small crack. New crown is not likely to get rid of pain and I think you’ll end up with a root canal. The question is how much suffering do you want to go through first. Get the new crown, but be aware of likley future need for root canal. ALos that is very nice offer from dentist to do so no charge to you. It’s a known complication and not all dentists would redo for free. Sounds like you are in good hands.
Given he may need a root canal, do you recommend using temporary cement for a few months to have a better chance the crown can be removed and replaced more easily ? Rather than drilling through the crown for a root canal? Is there some rule of “pain” and prognosis where you decide that or not?
Yes
There is no hard and fast rule which is why it’s such a tricky subject. Pain is subjective to the individual. Usually I say if pain is not diminishing week to week then we need to do RCT. If getting better over time then may be ok. I also go by what the tooth was like. If it had a crack and still have pain then I do RCT, if it was deep decay then I will let it try to settle down. If crack and decay I treat same as just crack.
Thank you for your prompt reply. I’m the event a root canal is needed, and it sounds eminent, would you refer a patient to an endodontist or stick with a general dentist?
Depends on the dentist. I do 100% of my own root canals as a general dentist and can handle any problem or issue BUT I have a CBCT and 8x loupes that I use which few general dentists have.
Hey Bryan, I got a root canal done a month ago and I recently got my crown put on today on tooth 19 and it really hurts I can’t eat on that side and I also got fillings done on tooth 12 2 weeks ago by the same dentist and I can’t eat or floss on that tooth and she keep saying oh the pain will go away but it’s not??
Check your other post
Hey Bryan i got a root canal done on tooth 19 about A month ago and today i got my crown on it and I’m having pain on the tooth when i eat . Also i got my fillings done by the same dentist and it’s still hurting 2 weeks later when i eat when i floss and she keeps saying it’s okay the pain will go away but is still hurting .
Have another dentist look at it. May need more time or may be anther reasons that only a quick look could tell.
I had a (temporary) crown placed about 3 days ago & have been utterly exhausted/foggy headed ever since. It feels like my body is fighting off an infection of some kind. In addition, the entire area around the crown is painful & inflamed, as well as there being some nerve pain in the tooth as well. My gums hurts to the touch around the tooth & it’s more sensitive to cold than it was before. The pain is not excruciating–more like mildly sore & throbbing.
My dentist was conservative & just did a crown w/ a pulp cap & some antibacterial calcium stuff but said I might need a root canal later. Should I be worried about sepsis/endocarditis or anything serious like that? I don’t have any known heart problems, but it seems odd to feel THIS tired & foggy-headed days after a dental procedure. They didn’t use any sedatives or NOS during the procedure; just numbing shots. I slept 17 hours the day the crown was placed & 14 hours yesterday :\
Sometimes a long procedure can take it out of you. The chances of a root canal are high if they had to do a pulp cap, sounds like you area aware of that though already.
THANK YOU for the free advice! Much appreciated, especially since I don’t have insurance 🙂 Still feeling “off” mentally to the point others have noticed, but maybe it’s something else. I will stop worrying now.
I had a root canal done on tooth #30 last Wednesday and now the tooth that is sensitive to tough is tooth #31. Is that normal or should I assume there is a problem with that tooth now? Thank you!
Pretty normal.
Hi, I cracked a tooth on a frozen milkdud, I know😏
The tooth had a porcelain filling prior to crack.
That same day went to dentist.
The dentist said instead of replacing filling I recommend a crown.
Crown was put on.
Now I have pressure pain when chewing.
I do not have pain otherwise, but if I push down on tooth I feel pain.
Time will tell. I would check the bite though to make sure not slightly too high.
Hi, so happy to find your site.
A corner broke off upper first molar with large, old amalgam filling . Dentist (who have not known long) put a corner or there as a ptatch, with idea we put a crown on. Did the crown prep and temporary, was fine. Put in final crown and horrendous pain… all the time. Not sensitive to hot cold or pressure, just overall pain. No swelling visible.
I said pls. do something or take this out or give me pain meds! He ground down and put temporary cap on it. It is better but not good. Just saw him again and he ground down temp so I’m not biting on it much. He said I can wait… I said what about antibiotics and he said no they just mask the problem. Is that right?? He said I could go to endodontist for tests and xrays that he can’t take. He only took one xray, ever of this tooth, and not digital. What would you do? I have a friend, older retired dentist, who said he’d take amoxicillin now and soon as can get to endo for evaluation…?
Oh, also when first dentist said he’d put crown on in a month, and I said, temporary cement, right, in case of probs and he said the temporary cement is permanent so it will be permanent cement. Uh… I just had to have the first crown ground down and if temp cement is same as permanent, why do they call it temporary? I’m not knowing what to do. Thank you.
Go see the endodontist like he recommended. Many dentists do not do root canals on molars and thus they are not going to be able to give you the best answer if the tooth is borderline needing a root canal. I am guessing you need a root canal though so go asap. The antibiotic may or may not help and I personally would not give you one unless you had a swollen area.
Oh, sorry I forgot to say it has been a month since the crown that hurt so much removal.
OK, he took a lot down on that crown to the point it is concave. After several days, pain has subsided. So I went through weeks of pain because he made the crown too large (it was huge)? Temporary cap still lll projects into my cheek (the temporary, with no impression taken yet). So am back to square one.
How fast do I run to another dentist? Unfortunately, I’ve paid– considering I had a crown put in, drilled down cuz of throbbing pain, capped again…. weeks of pain for no reason.
This crown was huge, and when I asked about it, no it was fine… right… What would you advise?
I cracked number 31, lots of pain, cone beam(?) X-ray finally diagnosed the crack.- the short story. I had a root canal and crown in January/February. Everything went well and seems to be working out. At my checkup in May, the dentist thought that maybe it’s mate molar on the other side might have a crack. Nothing hurt at the time. Is that typical? In the last week, I’ve developed even more cold sensitivity possibly around that tooth. I already have sensitive teeth.
What should I do? Do people crack teeth in pairs? I have been wearing a night guard for 12+ yrs for night grinding.
Thanks so much for your advice.
Yes very common. If I have a patient lose a tooth or get a root canal because of a crack I pay close attention to the same tooth on the other side of the jaw. People’s dental issues tend to mirror each other on the left and right side. I would def. crown it based on the little amount of info you gave.
I had a root canal beginning of May. On the upper left tooth. I also had a deep cavity on the tooth next to it. The dentist said he didn’t go as deep as he should have because of my sinus lining. The temp was fine in the root canal and out of nowhere in the middle of the night I felt a stinging pain that came and went, before I knew it my sinuses started to act up. I went in and he said that my temp crown was pushing on my gums and my gums were inflamed. But he was going to apply the new crown, make sure I floss as well to keep food from between my teeth! Well fast forward I had sinus issues when after a tooth X-ray dentist said all looked well, it has to be sinuses. I went to see my dr which said my sinus were pretty inflamed, both nostrils and etc.
The only thing is the root canal is acting up. I feel pressure and only a little pain when I push on it. The dentist said the tooth is close to th sinus so if it’s causing pain than that’s probably why. Many people will think it’s the tooth when in fact it’s the sinuses and vice versus.
Now the tooth next to it is bothering me and it’s not the one with deep cabitiy work! Mind you it’s just a pressure in the gum area. And only when I chew does it hurt. I believe my bite is off but they have adjusted it twice. The second time it gave me some relief and came right back but I do have a lot going on with my sinuses. I was completely nervous after googling my symptoms and even thought he went thru my sinus cavity but he assured he did not. He showed me the X-rays, all 4 nerves are completely filled, and all. So why all this? The other root canal he did was perfect and no issues only when I touch it is it senstive.
The new root canal isn’t sentive to hot or cold. It seems to be fine. I do have tendency to push it on a lot because I am so nervous it may be more!
If they found all 4 canals and showed you it is probably done well. You can get a second opinion and maybe should but that’s all I can tell you without seeing it.
Hi! I got a crown about 4-5 weeks ago on molar 19, procedure went normal then exactly 2 weeks ago i got the permanent crown, which i also thought went about as normal as possible. A day of soreness after, then everything seemed to be normal again. Until last night, when out of the blue i began to have a radiating/throbbing pain from my tooth that seemed to come in waves, sometimes throbbing and sometimes more of a pressure feeling. It isn’t extreme but it was enough to make me miserable as it is almost constantly coming and going, ibuprofen hardly seems to work. Visually nothing looks different and I’m sure I didn’t eat anything hard, nor do i grind my teeth so i have no idea what could be causing it. I flossed and brushed fine so I don’t think it’s related to stuck food, nor did my bite seem wrong at any prior time. I read through as much blog as i could see but didn’t see any exact situations, what could it possibly be? Could the tooth still be settling? Root canal? I just find it absurd that i went from no pain to being miserable in a matter of hours. What is your advice?
Very possible that heading to root canal.
A slightly different kind of hurt. I have a deep bite. A bottom front crooked tooth has begun hitting a top crooked tooth. When I chew now, and in sleeping I find the bottom presses for a good long time against the top, so I roll over and reposition my head, and try to leave my jaw slightly open. I now have a slight ache in the top left central incisor, lateral and canine.
I’m hearing solutions from braces (invisalign) to crowns and to something less invasive and cheaper like filing the side of crooked teeth that are hidden (slant inward behind the tooth next to it.
I’m 71, and braces can be years. Crowns are quick but also very expensive (assume top and bottom), and I wonder if that can correct the crooked teeth. Filing sounds easy, if that solves the problem.
Obviously you can’t see my mouth, but do you have a sense of direction that helps me think when I next talk with the dental doctors?
Question about a crown on tooth 2.
Tooth was cracked and a crown was recommended. Tooth was preped for a Porcelain fused to zirconia. After the tooth prep it was discovered my insurance would only cover a gold crown. A gold crown was substituted for the Porcelain fused to zirconia. Should I expect any problems for this procedure.
So far not happy with the fit of the crown to the bite of the crown in the lower jaw. Having pain in lower crown now. Both clowns have been adjusted but still not happy with the results. What should I do?
Thank you
Gold is the best product available. People don’t like it for color reasons only but on tooth #2 should not matter. Takes time to get bite right sometimes.
Hi Bauer, on Monday (July 2nd), I got a temporary crown placed on my top right molar because I had cracked tooth syndrome. Started to feel sensitivity on that tooth in May and now have temporary on it. I didn’t have any pain upon chewing the first two days, just tenderness. I’m really sensitive to cold on that tooth and the two teeth behind it so I’m avoiding drinking cold liquids. I’m not sensitive to hot.
I have been waking up the last two months clenching my teeth, but haven’t felt myself clenching the last 5 days since getting the temp on… but the last 3 days around 12 pm or 3 pm I start feeling jaw pressure and aching to the point I need to take Ibuprofen. I don’t feel the jaw pressure in the morning. Is this normal with a temp crown? Could it be the clenching at night? It aches on the teeth behind my temp crown rather than on that tooth which is strange.
I’m getting the permanent crown on this upcoming Wednesday… but so far I’d say I’m not feeling better, my upper right jaw (only that side) is aching and feels pressure.
Sounds like you are high risk for needing a root canal. I would probably get one if I was in your shoes.
Turns out my temporary crown had an opening at the top, which is why I was super sensitive. Ever since I got my permanent crow onn two days ago, I don’t feel any aching at all or the same level of sensitivity as before… I’ll wait it out until I’m truly in pain for an RTC
That makes perfect sense. Glad to hear it turned out ok!
Hi Bauer – It’s been almost 3 months since I got my permanent crown over my cracked tooth. In the last 3 months, my crowned tooth would be in slight discomfort pain when i chewed on harder things like almonds or crackers (which is what the dentist warned me about), so i chewed more on my left side unless if it was soft. I noticed in the last week that the pain upon chewing has been disappearing, i’m able to eat cereal or crackers with 0 discomfort. i’m wondering if that means my nerve died within the crown? or my tooth had reversible pulpitis and healed ? i’ve been wearing a mouthguard every night since i got my permanent crown so i’m sure that has helped my teeth too. I haven’t noticed anything negative, besides normal sensitivity to cold drinks.
Hello. I’ve got my crown 7 weeks ago. It ‘covers’ 8 teeth. I am very stressed because I started to feeling a moderate pain at on of the crowned teeth. It is sensitive at cold, painful and sometimes is pulsating. What could it be? It’s complicated for me now to see the dentist because I got my crown in another country. It would cost me a lot of money to go there and get eventually a root canal treatment. I am also afraid that the pain will be stronger and might need a root canal treatment trough the crown. On a scale 1-10 the pain is somewhere at 2.
Your opinion will mean a lot to me!
Thank you!
It’s very risky to have dental work done far from home for many reasons. You are experiencing one of them right now, no follow up and no one to turn to when things go wrong. Also a good chance the work is poorly done. I’ve seen this many times and it seems to be getting worse. I wouldn’t be surprised if you went locally and were told all the work needs to be redone, as this is usually how these dental tourism cases play out. Dental tourism
Hello Dr.
I went to a Dentist and he told me the tooth was compromised and he could not do a root canal because I was going to loose the tooth. I went to a second dentist and he said no, I can safe the tooth. I opted to save the tooth, because in feel like saving the tooth is better than having an implant where anything can go wrong and also implants are not as movable as our own teeth are. I am extremely afraid of bacterial infection and other complications that can come with an implant. So, the tooth is saved, root canal done everything went well, crown went amazingly well and it did not hurt in the first 4 days. I am on the day 5 today and I noticed that when I was eating that it started to hurt. I wasn’t chewing with the new crown before and I was trying to be careful with it, but now that I am starting to use it, It hurts a bit. Do you think it’s adjustment time or something else? Also the crown does not hurt when my mouth is closed I mean the crown is not tall.
Can’t say without x-rays. Could be normal still but that seems pretty unlikely to me. Sometimes when a tooth is borderline restorable you CAN save it but it becomes less predictable.
Hello Dr.,
I was having some discomfort in my molar #18 upon release when chewing. One dentist said my tooth was cracked, and I needed a root canal followed by a crown. He referred me to an endodontist who said the same thing. I then went in for another opinion, and this last dentist said putting a crown on it would be fine and that a root canal would do me no good. So, I had the crown put on and the pain while chewing only got worse most likely because the bite was off. There was one weekend where I did have severe toothache which thankfully went away. For two months, I kept visiting the dentist to get an adjustment (approx 6 adjustments). Dentist said my jaw was shifting all the time, but he still would comment that a root canal would’ve done me no good and once the tooth settled down, he would replace the crown. When I asked why, his response was that it was “ugly” looking. Finally, at the 6th adjustment, dentist said I needed a root canal. I feel like he was just giving up on me because the adjustments were not working. He said that the root was getting darker but to me, it didn’t look much darker. The dental assistant mentioned that sometimes with a cracked tooth, it might be better to pull it than do a root canal because I could experience pain even after the root canal. My questions are: 1) Is this true regarding having pain after root canal for a cracked tooth? 2) Could it be that the crown was not a proper fit in the first place and needs to be replaced?
3) Should I proceed with a root canal, have this tooth extracted, or try and get another adjustment? Or, should I just leave it alone, and will it adjust on its own in time?
The crown does feel high still. I feel slight pain only if I were to chew on the tooth because it is tender. The tenderness will go away overnight and then returns again throughout the day which tells me the bite is definitely off still. I have a small bubble in my gum below the tooth which is not painful at all. This bubble did develop immediately after crown placement as well but then subsided. It has now returned and I have been rinsing with saltwater to see if it subsides again.
I have a tooth that a dentist said needed a root canal and I have left it alone for 6 years with no pain or problem with the tooth at all. So, I am confused on what to do and how to proceed with this tooth. Your advice is much appreciated.
Thank you.
The first two docs were probably right. Should have done root canal and then crown. Water under bridge now. Just do the root canal now and leave the crown or replace, either way is fine.
Thank you for your reply, Dr. If the tooth has a crack though, is it possible that I might still have pain even after a root canal? I would rather have it pulled if the tooth will still give me problems even after a root canal. So far, the tenderness has gone away, but bubble in the gum is still there and crown is still high. Why after 6 adjustments has the crown returned to being high again and the bite being off? What is going on with the tooth? Why can’t it be adjusted properly? I feel like the tenderness is only caused by the bite being off. It seems like the tooth is settling down, and the tenderness is only being caused by the bite being off. Thanks.
Get another in person opinion. If there is still a bubble there then something is not right.
I chipped a front tooth 18 months ago and I had a crown put on it and my tooth never hurt before, but has been sore ever since the crown was put on. I also had a root canal on a lower molar fail so they redid the root canal and placed new post and crown 2 weeks ago and the tooth has been sore to push on, hurts when flossing, and now it also hurts as bad as it did before the root canal and crown were redone. I am left financially strapped to even pay off what dental work was even done and it is going to take me a year to pay, so I can not afford to do any more dental work. I am at a complete loss as to what to do. Is it something I can just grin and bear, or is there possibility of infection? I am completely out of resources to do anything more. What would you suggest in this situation?
Retreating root canals is not something I recommend very often unless there is a really obvious reason for why it failed. It is often better for everyone involved to extract and place an implant. I don’t know what your circumstance was prior but that is a generalization. You may want to get another opinion of the work that was done at this point. If someone else says there is something wrong with then you might have some recourse. If not then your options become more limited to extraction.
got a Cerac crown on a lower back molar. I went on an international flight three days after I got my crown. (Not dental tourism, just bad timing.) Now, it is two weeks later, and I am taking 2 advil 3x per day for ongoing pain. No sensitivity to cold or heat or chewing. Just throbbing pain. Will it take longer to recover because of my flight abroad? Was it a bad choice to get a cerac crown as opposed to a traditional crown? What should I do now? Also, what is the best way to find a good dentist? What should I look for / watch out for. In the past, I chose my dentist based on proximity. Thanks for the advice!
Flight won’t impact lower teeth at all. I don’t care much for cerec crowns personally but some docs are good at them. The mill is not very good compared to what labs use so the fit is often not great. Your pain could be any number of things. I have a list we give patients that are moving on how to find a good dentist. Here is our how to find a good dentist link
A couple months ago I had a build-up and was given a temp crown for about a month. During the time I had the temp crown I had no issues with pain. I then got the permanent crown and ever since I cant eat on that side due to pain. It is also extremely sensitive to hot and cold and anything sweet. I had it rechecked for bite a couple weeks later and was told to give it a few more weeks. He checked the bite and said it was good. Its now been about two months and really not much better- just getting used to it I think. What is your opinion? Also my gums seem to be swollen on that side.
I think you need a root canal. IF your pain disappears I think it is more likely that the nerve dies and you won’t know for years until it gets infected and needs a root canal anyway. Sorry you had to write that 3 times, the system waits for me to approve things to avoid spam.
Hello. I’m 59 years old. I’ve had over 20 crowns and over 10 root canals. Last year, one of my crowned teeth (#3) needed a root canal. After a failed root canal and apicoectomy (per Endodontist), I had to get the tooth extracted. I waited a year (had bone that had to be removed after the extraction) and went today today 8/27 to get started on the bridge. The two adjoining teeth also have crowns and but no root canals. He took those off and put the temporaries on including doing an x-ray and said everything looks good. I am noticing some throbbing on one of the teeth tonight. I guess it may be too soon but I am worried about it and hope the tooth isn’t already going bad from being disturbed. I didn’t think I would have much in the way of pain after this. I am unable to take anything but tylenol. Can this happen a few hours after a temporary crown in put in? Also, I’ve requested gold crowns instead of porcelain on all back molars. Do you think this is a good idea for someone with a lot of dental problems? Thank You!
Gold would be good for high decay risk. I would bet at least one of your teeth would end up needing a root canal based on your history.
Hi. Had a root canal and dental crown on my molar 10 years back. Been experiencing pain in my molar crown since a week. It doesnt pain otherwise but it does whenever i eat or chew. Your opinions please !! Thanks in advance !!
See a dentist, likely reinfected or what is left of your tooth under the crown is broken.
Hi there, last Thursday I had both my lower wisdom teeth removed. I have one crowned tooth (upper first molar), which also had a root canal treatment. This was done a year ago. Since the wisdom operation last week, my crowned tooth has been hurting. The same tooth (upper first molar) on the other side of the mouth hurt for a couple days too but now that pain is gone. I’m thinking that these two teeth where used to clamp my mouth – could the surgeons perhaps have cracked the crowned tooth and thus it’s still hurting or what could be the issue? – many thanks!
Could have been cracked but probably just part of the healing process. Upper teeth do not usually require much force to remove so it’s unlikely that it’s anything other than post op pain.
I had a root canal in July and a retreatment three weeks ago. Both were done by a trusted endodontist on an upper right hand molar. I had initial sinus/jaw pain–a throb really on that side. Sometimes it gave me a headache. All of that has subsided. My dentist took an xray on Thursday and did an exam for crown placement. She told me that the tooth looked good, but that my sinus cavity looked “cloudy.” I got the temp crown, it fell out immediately, and I had it replaced. The replacement crown hurts when I bite down it. I cannot eat on that side. I have major bruxism, and wear a nightguard, but still get jaw pain. I go back next week for permanent crown. Do you think the bite could be off?
Yes. But there are many possibilities.
Buggy
I had a root canal in July and a retreatment three weeks ago. Both were done by a trusted endodontist on an upper right hand molar. Initially had sinus/jaw pain–a throb really on that side. Sometimes it gave me a headache. That has all subsided. My dentist took an xray last Thursday and did and an exam for crown placement. She told me that the tooth looked good, but that my sinus cavity looked “cloudy.” Temp crown was placed, fell off, and replaced again. It hurts when I try to eat on that side. Could it be the bite? I’m also a grinder. I’m going back to dentist next Thursday for permanent crown.
The same endodontist had to retreat it just a few months after doing it? That is not a good sign. I would be highly suspicious of a fracture.
How long after having a high bite fixed will it take for the pain to subside.
Few days and you should start feeling better.
I would really appreciate some HELP or advice
I feel very concerned today after reading these posts. I am only reading them because I have some pain. It is discomfort that nurefon fixes so I am hoping things will settle.
My story is that I had a crown that broke and needed fixing. xrays showed bones good and no change in 3 years however I have slightly mobile teeth. I was not experiencing any pain, but after crown broke I had no bite. and the contact was my bottom front teeth hitting my top front teeth. It has been mentioned for a few years that I will need to rebuild my teeth as they have large fillings and are worn out and after breaking the crown that was only 7 years old, my dentist who I trust said that the work I required to re-create my bite was beyond her doing it, and I should see a prosothdontist. So I did…. The quote to fix my teeth was $65,000 AUD. For me that is 2 years salary! there were 3 options but if i took plan B or C it would end up costing more as I would need about 5 crowns per year. I was really scared, and had trouble eating. So, I spoke to many people, including my dentist ( who said due to the extensive work and cost that I really did not have much option) and ended up getting Tourist dental work done in Bali… instead of the recommended 20 crowns that the prosothdontist wanted to do , the dentist in Bali said clinically I only needed 9 so I went for that option. So, I now have 3 crowns lower Left, 3 crowns lower Right, the replaced crown upper Right and 2 new front teeth (these were broken as a child and were capped)
the Bali clinic seemed clean, the dentist professional. The teeth were prepared on the 29th August. When the anesthetic wore off, I had pain that was controlled with nurefon. I only ate very soft food for 6 days. My gums were sore, my lips sore, my bones were bruised, I think from the injections. i can still feel that bruising today. I did not have injections for the fitting… the fitting for me was very painful, however I was determined to be able to feel the bite hoping to get is right as I needed to fly home the next day.
So I guess it is only 3 days, however the dentist did not mention that I should be feeling any pain, and that I should be able to eat anything. i am extremely careful biting and still need nurefon for discomfort. I don’t know if my bite is right because I can’t remember what it should feel like. there is contact both sides now. not really painful but i feel the pressure and sometimes when I talk my bottom teeth are hitting my new front teeth. with words with the letter S or X. this has never happened before. I mentioned this to the Bali dentist and he said it is because I have my bite back. How long should I wait before I see someone? How do I know if my bite is right? Will I get used to talking differently?Thank you in advance for any advice.
Go ask your trusted dentist about the dental work. It’s possible that it is ok but highly unlikely. My guess is you did more harm than good.
I had root canal work and partial crown fitted 6 months ago. Dentist was not sure if he had got all nerve but tried very hard. It’s my 4th crown each with root canal done at same time and this was most uncomfortable. 6 months later the tooth is sensitive on the side where I still have my actual tooth part. I can eat without pain chewing on it and it does not give me pain. But it is sensitive when tapped on the dream tooth side. It doesn’t appear red or inflamed. Must I go back to have more work done? Could it still settle down?
When a dentist says they think they got it all, they definitely didn’t. It also means that the anatomy of your teeth probably makes it impossible to get it all. It won’t settle down but other than extraction there may not be much that dentist can do for you.
Hi Dr. Bryan,
I had a root canal done on August 7th and a crown installed on August 28th of this year. I went back for a crown adjustment on September 9th. My concern is that I still feel sensitivity around the inner part of the gum area around the crown. When I chew or just swallow saliva I feel sensitivity coming from the crown; it feels almost as if the crown is loose or it was not prepped properly. When I touch the crown with my tongue, it also feels sensitivity. I am becoming concern about possible infection of the gum area where the crown is sitting. The dentist I went is new to me because my dentist relocated far away. She told me to give it a few if I continue to feel discomfort. I would appreciate it your advice very much on this issue. I am tempted to redo the crown with my old dentist and pay the extra money to just have her do the crown. I have a ten year old crown that she did for me and I have had no problems with it.
Thank you so much for your advice.
Sincerely,
Emma S.
I think giving it awhile is pretty solid advice. Things like this happen and most of the time things settle down.
Hi, I had a temporary crown put on four days ago in my lower back tooth – the last one (a piece had broken off twice – first time it was simply repaired). For the first three days I had no pain, then suddenly pain started as a dull ache in my tooth and jaw going into my ear. It is getting worse as the hours pass. Is this likely inflammation or is it rather infection that has set in somehow? What shall I do?
See your dentist. It’s inflammation most likely but that inflammation is also what causes the nerve to die and need a root canal.
Hello, I had a crown done on my back right moral 4 weeks ago today. It is very, very sensitive to hold and cold foods/beverages. What should I do?
See a dentist, that sounds like needs a root canal.
Hi,
I had a root canal done on a molar about 8 years ago and got a crown. All was fine with it until I went to the dentist last month and they told me it had become impacted and I needed to get a new crown – I had no urgency to fix it since I didn’t feel any pain, but figured I’d go ahead and do it before it got worse. I got my temp, which was fine, and then my new permanent crown three days ago. I hadn’t been chewing on that side because it was a little sensitive and I was worried it would pop off since it was new (irrational fear, I know). Today, however, I suddenly started feeling intense pain whenever I would bite down. I tested the tooth in front of it to make sure it wasn’t that one and I didn’t feel any pain, so I pressed on the crown and the pain was intense. Pushing on the inside of the crown doesn’t hurt, but it does hurt to push on the outside and on top. Is this something to be concerned about, or is this simply my gums/mouth adjusting to the new crown? Also, since my tooth started hurting, I’ve also experienced a headache at my temple on the side of the crown.
Thank you in advance!
Might be a problem. Sometimes when we fix a tooth that is bad shape, the additional trauma from us fixing it causes per-existing microcracks to get worse and may lead to a tooth that needs to be extracted. Did they check the bite yet, that is the most common and first place to start. But you should know teeth will only take so much abuse and it’s my personal experience that by the time a tooth needs a second crown, all bets are off and how will it will work. Some people just get unlucky and dentists can’t predict who those people or which teeth will fail.
I had a root canal + crown procedure on a molar 7 years ago. About 2 months ago, the crown got chipped and I had it replaced. It fit well right away with no complications or discomfort until this past Monday (5 days ago). I started to feel pain when biting/chewing. I was still experiencing discomfort on Thursday when I visited my dentist. Now the pain was at a near constant dull throb, but not unbearable, and I’m feeling tenderness in my jaw below the problem tooth. The doctor didn’t think it was in infection, but she did adjust my bite- filing the crown a little lower. As of now, about 36 hours from the procedure I am still experiencing the same symptoms. She told me to call back the following day, but I figured I’d give it the weekend. Any advice on what to expect? Does this seem symptomatic of a failed root canal or something even worse? It seems unusual to me that the crown would just stop fitting right after 2 months. Thank you.`
That sound like issue with the root canal or the roots. Either failing root canal or more likely in my mind is cracked root. Unfortunately it takes some time to know which sometimes.
I had some issues with teeth 30 and 31. 31 needed a root canal and 30 (which has never had a root canal) had to have a crown replaced. Both teeth got new crowns. I started having pretty bad pain about 2 weeks after getting the temps on. When I went to get the permanent crowns on a few days after the pain started, the dentist said the area was very inflamed and had to apply something to retract the swelling in order to get the crown on 30 to sit down far enough. It’s been 5 days since the crowns have been put on, and the pain seems to be getting worse (at least not any better). The last two nights it has woken me and I’ve been taking OTC pain killers and occasionally some Percocet to make it tolerable the past week. How much time should I give it to heal and settle down? Is it the inflammation from the crown prep and temporary that is still giving me pain? Or should I think about getting a root canal done on 30, too? Thank you so much for this blog and taking the time to answer.
Go get a second opinion in person. Needing something to be retracted so can seat the crown doesn’t sound right to me.
Hi,
I had a root canal on July 2nd of this year, followed by a temporary crown. I didn’t have any problems at all with the temporary crown. I then had the permanent crown placed on August 20th. Ever since the permanent crown was placed, the tooth has hurt. The gum doesnt hurt and the pain is not throbbing. I notice the tooth pain periodically throughout the day. Sometimes it hurts when I bite, but not severe. It hurts when the tooth is pushed from the side. I went back to the dentist. He took an x-ray and a bite check and said everything looked fine.
I appreciate any information you can offer, thank you!
Might need a root canal.
Hi,
I had two temporary crown placed on my left molar. I had the procedure after routine cleaning. The entire procedure lasted for 3hours. My left cheek was very sore. Then 4days later, I started having severe throbbing pain from my left ear down to my tooth. I contacted the dentist. He said that the bite may be too high and adjusted the bite. He said that I don’t need a root canal. He directed me to take Ibuprofen every 8hrs. This helps to relieve the pain for a while and the pain will come back again. The pain in my ear is very unbearable. What should I do now?
Sounds like a root canal is getting more and more likely.
Hi,
I had a crown put in July, 2017 for a filling that cracked. The dentist said I had a cavity in the tooth next to the tooth that he was doing the crown in. So he filled that one during the crown prep for the other tooth. I have had bite sensitivity in the filled tooth the entire year. Started seeing a new dentist and she adjusted the bite in the filled tooth which has helped. It still doesn’t feel completely normal but a lot better. Over the past week I have been waking up at night due to pressure/pain, in what I believe is my crowned tooth. Saw my dentist yesterday and she sent me over to an endodontist to see if I may need a root canal. Endodontist did a couple x-rays, cold sensitivity test, and a tapping test, and decided he didn’t think I need a root canal. He did say that if the pain persists and is significant that he would do it. What do you think could be causing the pain? Is it possible the bite on the crown is too high? I haven’t really been able to chew much on the left side since last summer, until my current dentist adjusted the filled tooth. I should also mention that I have very sensitive teeth and that I do have a tendency to clench/grind at night.
Not uncommon for a tooth to take a couple years to go bad. Also check to see if you are using a whitening toothpaste, sometimes that does it too. By that I mean cut out all whitening products because that makes teeth sensitive and if you have a nerve that is struggling to survive the whitening makes the tooth even more sensitive.
I’ve had a crown placed about 1 month ago. I’ve gone back twice already due to being to high. I still feel pressure/pain it’s sensitive to hot and cold but not as bad as before. Dentist said my nerves looked good. when I drink something hot the discomfort lingers. Last time I went is going to be 2 week I feel I need to go back. How can u tell if it’s still too high or more serious. Don’t want to be a pest but it’s so uncomfortable
You are likely borderline needing a root canal. The nerve will always look good on an xray at first unless the tooth has been dead a long time and the infection has gotten into the jaw bone.
Hello!!!! I had 4teeth prepped last Friday for crowns,today is wed. I am having on and off throbbing, since Friday. Doesn’t get better or worse. I called dentist office today, they said call early next week if not better. My Dentist said the tooth I had a root canal on might be cracked, she mentioned an implant. But then decided to patch it. Should I ditch getting a crown and do an implant? Would the crown they are making me be able to go onto an implant?
Follow their recommendations
Hello! Thank you for taking the time to help us all out. I had a crown replaced last year (the crown was placed on my tooth when I was 18, I was 24 at the time it was replaced). I had to go back in time and time again to get the right crown to fit and also, had to go back after the permenant one was put on due to extreme discomfort. They used some laser tool to “zap” the exposed root of my tooth to remove sensitivity, but it never helped. I tried to ignore the pain for about a year, but now my gums are swelling and surrounding teeth are starting to ache, even without eating anything. I cannot drink or eat anything that will touch that specific tooth without extreme pain. I do grind my teeth at night and wear a night guard. Do you believe I will need a root canal?
Probably. Not many teeth survive getting two crowns at such a young age.
Hi, sorry if this is submitted more than once, for whatever reason I am having a hard time posting. I received a temporary crown on an upper right side tooth earlier this week after having pain due to a deep filling cracking the tooth. My dentist first tried a medicated filling when the crack was discovered 2 weeks ago, and it provided slight relief, but it still hurt to chew food. I am supposed to get a permanent crown in a few weeks. My concern is that the pain I had been feeling between the time period of the first filling and the medicated filling has returned, and it happens even when I am not chewing. It feels like a dull pain that ramps up if left unmedicated. I have to take advil and sometimes use an ice pack for the pain to subside, and it worries me because I don’t want to rely on taking advil for a long time. I am also unsure if the pain is coming from the bad tooth, or from another one (for example, one night I woke up in pain and it felt like it was coming from the lower right side and extending up to my ear). I had a filling done around the same time on a lower right tooth, but the filling wasn’t as deep as the upper tooth. My dentist said he can tell I grind my teeth during the night, and I have jaw pain and cracking at random times (unrelated to the teeth) on the left side, could this be why the nighttime pain is sometimes worse? Should I wait it out and see if the pain subsides a bit (having the temporary crown in has helped with eating), or should I call my dentist?
Call the dentists and let them see the tooth.
Hi! I had a crown put on 4 of my front teeth approximately 3 years ago. Recently, when I drink water, it’s almost like it leaks into one of the crowns causing extreme pain for about 15 seconds. Then it’s fine and it’s not all the time. Usually if I’m drinking through a straw or laying on my side or something funny. Do I need to get it resealed?
Thank you!
You can’t reseal it. You might need a root canal though.
I recently had lower right and lower left molar crown on 11/21. I had cracked my lower right and lower left was not severe but figured i get both done. Procedure took 5.5hours. I was in pain and had a lot of shots to numb me out. I felt the right tooth was higher so i went in a week later 11/28 to fix the bite situation. After that, i had throbbing pain that would wake me up in middle of night. So i went to dentist on 12/4, took an xray..told her about the throbbing and her immediate solution was that it sounded i need a root canal. She tapped my teeth…blew cold air on it and it was extremely sensitive to cold. The last tap was pretty hard that it hurt. She said bite need to be fixed a bit..so she fixed it. Got home and felt the throbbing pain…took a pain killer. And so far i have not had any throbbing pain until 9pm tonight. So i took a motrin and throbbing stopped. So am i getting better or is the nerve dying?
That’s a very long time for that appointment. Sounds like the tooth is borderline at this point.
I had two old, large fillings on #19 and #30 give out on me at the same time. (#30 took a piece of the tooth with it.) Had two temporary crowns placed 6 days ago. They tended to be too high, so we had to fiddle with them to get them down to a natural-feeling level. (I don’t think my bite was “natural” to begin with, but I mean it felt like what I’d been used to.) Since then, I’ve had chewing sensitivity — a little on #19, and significantly more on #30.
I’m going on vacation in a week so and will be back at the end of the month, by which time my permanents will be back from the lab. I’m thinking about going in to ask the dentists to look my teeth and gums over before I go (having a little gum sensitivity too, including sensitivity around the #31 gum tissue at the back of the mouth). But if I need a root canal, I really want to do it after Jan. 1st so I can put it on my 2019 dental coverage.
Should I keep an eye on the sensitivity for the next couple of weeks and then ask the dentist to place the permanent crowns with temporary cement, just to see if the sensitivity goes away once the temporaries are replaced? and then proceed with root canal if nothing has changed?
Give it time
My permanent crowns are now attached. The right molar feels just fine, and so did the left one for the first couple of days. Biting down hard on chips today, however, I noticed some passing discomfort. (Lighter chewing still feels fine.) Also having a few odd random twinges on that side of my jaw now (although that might be related to TMJ). My next appointment is in 4 months — is that sufficient “watching and waiting” time for this tooth?
yes. give it the 4 months
Hi, I have been having issues with a tooth since May. I had a crown on my front tooth (no pain with the temporary) and it had a previous root canal and veneer 22 yrs ago but had some decay on the back. Did the crown, no pain with temporary, then quickly worsening pain 2 wks after permanent. I ended up having dental surgery, they cut off the root tip and filled it vs the redo on the root canal and it did seem a little better after the surgery but when I got the new crown (plus the other front tooth done because of staining and to match and because of possible gum line issues) it really got worse again. They didn’t see any cracks or signs of infection during the surgery. Also, my bite has been off for quite awhile! So I’m wondering if there is anything I can still do to save this tooth or if this could perhaps be pain from my bite resting on different teeth from before. I have had both crowns adjusted and am sure they are not hitting the crowns but they both feel ‘off’ in my mouth and the original trouble tooth is sensitive. I got the 2 new crowns on about 3 wks ago and it feels like my gums still are ‘off’ too and they don’t seem healed. I have been to the dentist and they couldn’t find anything off on the x rays. My insurance changes soon and I’m going to see my old dentist Jan 2nd for a consult. I keep getting headaches and having to take otc pain meds and am just wondering how long to try to get over the pain before pulling the tooth and paying a crazy amount of $ for an implant.
Get a second consult. The tooth could be done for or it could be something the first doc is missing.
Hello,
I’ve had some problems with my upper front teeth since getting a root canal and a crown on the the central incisor. The crown had to be replaced a total of 2 times due to bad shade and chipping. After the first replaced crown the dentist shaved the inside down too much which annoyed me. Instead of having him replace it again I stupidly asked him to shave down some of the adjacent teeth to make the bite match. This worked for some time but after a couple months I started feeling minor pain in those teeth. My crowned tooth also seems to randomly flare up a bit which is weird since it has had a root canal. I think one of the teeth I am experiencing pain with is due to the shaving that was done as the tip of it feels too thin. But the other, the one that is adjacent to the crown, has the most consistent ache and I think it might be due to bite. It seems to stick out more towards the inside of my mouth but I feel like the crown next to it is also affecting how much pressure it receives from my bite, as I feel like this crown was shaved down a bit too much like the second one. Not too mention the shade is off like the first time. I’ve been having so much trouble with this dentist that I plan on seeing a different one. Do you have any idea what could be causing this? Thanks in advance
It’s not easy to get a perfect match to a front tooth and to get a good match you will need to find a skilled cosmetic dentist. The rest you need to see a new dentist for.
Last week I had my custom crown fitted, one of my top molars. This was my first ever crown. The dentist had terrible trouble knocking out the temporary crown she’d put in. It took about 20 minutes of continuous hammering and drilling to get it out and I had to have an injection. My crown was fitted, it felt bad to me, but she said it was fine. Once the injection wore off my jaw ached badly that day and night. I am now one week post treatment and the aching has gradually reduced although not completely gone, but it still hurts to bite on my crown. My bite feels wrong, like the crown is too high, but if I adjust my lower jaw forward very slightly it feels a better bite. I am very disappointed as both my temporary filling and then my temporary crown felt better than this expensive custom made crown.
I also think the crown doesn’t fit properly on the inside of my mouth. I can feel a small gap between the crown and the gum and I can feel jagged edges on the inside edge of the tooth and even get inside the gap with my finger nail. And I think a slither of tooth fell out of here when I was brushing yesterday! I’m worried food will sit in here and the tooth will rot. The outside surface of the crown fits well against my gum, am I expecting too much for the inside to fit similarly?
I guess I need to go back to the dentist but I am scared as I don’t want her hammering my crown out again as I feel like my jaw is still recovering. Could the dentist have damaged my prepared tooth surface when she drilled and hammered out the temporary crown thus causing the custom crown to not fit properly?
What do you suggest should be done regarding my bite and aching issue, and also regarding the small gap on the inside? Do I need a new crown made? Is my experience normal or should I be looking for a new dentist?
Sorry for all the questions. Thanks in advance. Your advice is great. I’ve read though lots of your comments above but didn’t see any quite like mine.
You are in the UK yes? Are you using a public health dentist? They are known world wide to provide the lowest level of quality care so if that is the case I would bet the crown does not fit well. I also know that because the private dentist are competing against free care they usually must provide very good care. So if that is the case then get a local second opinion.
Thank you. Yes i am in the UK and it was done on our National Health Service however it still cost £400 as I am not eligible for free care. Private would be about £600 but I wish I’d done this now. I have been back to see the dentist who performed it and she filled the hole at the top and shaved some off the bite surface. It is much better after that and I can now eat most things on it although it still aches a little and I cannot eat anything hard on it and it’s been weeks now.
Lots of great info here, thank you. Hoping I could get your opinion on my situation. I had a large silver filling in tooth #13. Dentist decided to replace silver filling with colored filling. After a few months it started hurting a little and sometimes sensitive to cold. Went to see a different dentist (in a different state now) and he said we should do crown, but check with endo first. I saw Endo- and he did the cold test, tapping and x-rays. All looked good. He said we can do a root canal if I want. I’m not thrilled about doing one if my tooth doesn’t need it. Went back to dentist and started prep for the crown. After he prepped the tooth down, he said he had to shave off some of the opposing tooth at the bottom where the tooth meets (so on a perfectly healthy tooth that didn’t need any work). He then got impressions for my crown and put my temp on. Is this normal procedure? To shave off part of a tooth for a crown (especially before I have permanent crown in?). I have one other crown (same place-different side of mouth) and never had any tooth structure taken off. That was, of course, from a different dentist as we move every few years due to the military. Much thanks for your help.
Yes common to remove some tooth structure from opposite side. We will often do this to even things out with someone’s bite that has shifted over the years. When doing a new crown is a great chance to get things back to perfect but can’t do that is the other side isn’t perfect.
I believe he was saying to remove structure on the tooth below the one getting the crown, not the opposing other side.
Yes that is what is common. The tooth opposing it will be on the opposite arch or jaw and will be hitting it when biting together. That is a little confusing as I stated it but you are correct.
Hi, I am also in the U.K. I have had a lot of trouble with a lower back molar which kept crackuand was being refilled by a (private) dentist who also took an x ray and said that the tooth was fine. I then changed dentists (to NHS) who said I needed root canal treatment and a crown. These were done over Christmas and my crown was fitted in the middle of January. The tooth is mostly fine but there is a permanent dull throbbing in the gym and every now and then I get a stinging pain in my jawline. Has my root canal treatment failed, do you think? It doesn’t HURT, but the sensation is definitely there.
Thanks .
Why did you need a root canal? Most often the patient tells us they need a root canal because of pain. Sounds like you went from a non-painful tooth to one with pain. Maybe get a third opinion.
Hi,
I had a temporary crown placed 2 weeks ago. I had no pain prior to crown, and since after the crown placement I have been having pain (which is completely relieved with ibuprofen only 2x day) The pain seems to remain the same. I went back a week ago and the dentist changed out temporary crown to permanent crown with temporary cement. I am wondering your opinion about root canal vs still having inflammation healing. I have well controlled type 1 diabetic >25 years so I know I have delayed healing.
You are very borderline. If getting better day to day then will be fine
Hello, I had 3 fillings done this week. One between the tooth that has a crown. I’ve been back twice because the bite just did not feel right after the fillings. The doc kept saying that I’m pointing to the crown as being to high or in the way which they never touched. 6 days later the crown is casuarina terrible pain, that side of my face is swollen. And the swelling is pushing up into my ear canal. It’s like I’m biting on the crown. Did they shift the crown? What do I do now?
Whenever 3 fillings are done on the same side the bite will change to some degree. That could make a tooth that was fine before all of a sudden feel off. It can also make a tooth that was not in a good spot all of a sudden blow up because after doing the fillings the tooth is hitting more, possibly more appropriate. In your case I wonder if the tooth with the crown was dead already but since you weren’t putting pressure on it, you never had a problem. Then when the other teeth were fixed it was hitting and the pre-existing infection blew up. I’m just guessing but what you’re describing does need attention.
Thank you so much! I ended up in the ER with a sinus infection. Went to the endodontis today and had a retreat on that tooth with the crown (I had a 10 year old root canal on it) endodontist said it showed open spacing at the top of the root? Anyway I didn’t care I just wanted to feel well.
4 years ago, I had a crown put on a tooth. Bad pain for a month. I went back and had a root canal done. All was fine until when the crown broke last weekend. It cracked right down the middle. When I went in, there wasn’t much tooth left, but my dentist said he could save it and re-crown. He said it would be that or a dental implant. Obv I went for the re-crown. He had to cut my gums down to get enough tooth for the temporary to attach to. All has been fine since Monday (it’s now Friday of the same week). I’ve had soreness in my cut gums, ulcers, etc. but the tooth wasn’t hurting. Starting last night, there has been tooth pain and sensitivity to hot/cold. I’m having to take Aleve to relieve the pain. Any thoughts? I have a call into the doctor but I’m still waiting to hear back.
Hot cold sensitivity is prob a different tooth.
I had a crown on my front tooth replaced last month. Prior crown was 25 years old and I had no problems with the tooth or crown (live tooth). I wanted to whiten my teeth, so I opted to have a new crown done. The crown was cut out and a temporary was placed on . I had the temporary on for a month. No problems, no pain. New crown placed on, pain started right after the numbness subsided. The tooth hurt when exposed to air and room temp or cooler liquids . Hurt when I tried to even take a small soft bite of bread (bite is fine, bottom teeth not hitting the crown). Called dentist and advised and was told to wait 2 weeks, that the tooth just needs time to adjust. The pain didn’t go away. Went back to dentist and inquired about materials used, maybe to take an x-ray. Was advised that the material used wasn’t the same as used on my old crown, it was better material (bonding material of some sort). I wanted the new crown taken off, but he advised to wait 6 months and see if the pain goes away. And if not, then I should have a root canal. Asked if my new crown is possibly not covering the entire tooth as the previous one or if the different material used to bond the crown could be why my tooth hurts now. Was advised no. I’m really confused. It didn’t hurt with the temporary and I had it on for a month. What are your thoughts? The intensity of the pain has gotten a bit better but now it is at a constant, still hurting and I feel like it shouldn’t be hurting anymore. TIA
Some of the bonding techniques to put new crowns on do cause sensitivity. The fact it was good with temp for so long does make me think the bonding of new crown is the issue. It might settle down and it might not. Maybe get another opinion from a doc that can take an xray and see if the crown is good.
Ok. Thank you for the info. If you were me, would you insist on having the crown removed at this point? It has been a little over a month. Do you think that if I had it removed that the tooth would recover? Would this be visible in an x-ray?
So I had pain in my lower back tooth and went to the dentist, and a root canal had to be done. After it, also a crown. And now I have pain in my jaw under where that tooth is. I had an X-ray and everything was okay. What can this pain be?
Tooth cracked, root canal failed, bite is off, bite is off when grinding side to side, different tooth is causing, referred pain from somewhere else, neurological pain. Those are the first few that come to mind. You will eventfully need to decide if the pain is worth investigating further.
Hello! I had a large silver filling replaced on tooth #13. It was fine for the first 6 months, then started to get irritated. It wasn’t terrible, but was somewhat achy and after chewing on it, would become sensitive to cold at times and very occasionally to hot. I went to the dentist, also to the endo to have it evaluated. Bite test, cold test, and x-rays all looked ok. I went back to dentist who prepped me for a crown. Had temp on for about 2 weeks, but still was having the same issues. Dentist put my permanent crown on with temporary cement. It’s pretty much still the same. If I eat on that side, then the tooth will be a little irritated later on. It’s not a terrible pain and I’ve only had to take Motrin a couple of times in the 4 months since the initial pain started. If I do not eat on that side, then it almost never hurts.
It is quite annoying that it is still aching and prevents me from eating on that site too often – especially with harder or chewy things. My bite has been checked numerous times as well. I’m not sure if I should get the root canal done now or wait longer. Any suggestions?
I would get the RCT at this point. You’re just suffering for something that will need to be done later anyway.
I had a crown put on my second to last lower molar and 2 months later after eating some raw almonds it began to hurt. The pain comes and goes. But it is especially painful after eating. Advil relieves the pain, but after the next meal the pain starts again. X rays came back normal, no infection. I was told to wait 2 weeks. Bite was adjusted a bit as well. But no relief a week later. I am leary of a root canal and at this point I feel like just extracting. What is your opinion? Dealing with this pain for almost 2 weeks now.
Probably will have to do something. Up to you if you do root canal or extract.
Hi! Lots of respect for doing this, Bryan.
I had a big filling in a tooth, which left the wall thin, and eventually the tooth chipped. I went to the dentist within the month, and it turns out I already had a cavity. They fixed it up, and told me I should get a crown. They shaved down the tooth, then put on a temporary crown. This was a week ago.
Since then, the pain has not subsided. I have come back twice, first after the temporary crown broke (it was too high), second because the new temporary crown was still causing pain, which they ascribed to it still being too high. They shaved it down then.
However, the pain still persists! Regardless of eating, cold, etc, it hurts persistently. Now they think I should go on antibiotics, but I have a feeling they just don’t know what’s going on. Is there any information here which leads you to think it could be an infection or abscess?
Thanks!
If sensitive to cold an antibiotic is useless as that means the nerve is alive thus impossible to have infection. The alive nerve that hurts can be the most painful teeth in need of root canals. Sounds like you need a root canal to me based on your description. Good luck to you!
Hey Bryan –
I had a root canal/crown put on about 6 months ago. For a while every day when I brushed my teeth – that area bled and was sore. It’s been probably a month or so since that has happened and now suddenly I have soreness/pain and occasional throbbing with the tooth. Do you know what could be causing this or what I can do to help it!?
First things that come to find are a crown with a misfit or space in between the teeth. Does food get caught in between teeth? Does floss snap through or just fall through? If there is a small space between the crown and the tooth next to it, then you will get symptoms like that. It’s not normal so go see dentist.
Thanks, will do!
Hello,
I need some advise and I am hoping to have some suggestions on my tooth issue
I was signed up to have two adjacent old crowns replaced four weeks ago.
When my dentist got the two old ones off, one tooth was good and the other had a cavity.
As he started to drill the situation didn’t improve. Under his breath I heard him say implant but he kept on drilling until his cell phone rang!! He stopped drilling answered the phone (a client friend of his was begging for an appointment for his friend)
The conversation lasted a few minutes. He returned back to drilling then put the tools down went to see his assistant to ask if she had had the client of the office phone….He returned back, continued drilling then put the tooks down and said that was enough. He added That I would have to come back the following week, that the cavity was very very deep in the root….when I got off the chair I looked into the mirror and saw I had lost my gum on the tooth, in between it and an adjecent tooth and some gum was also sacrificed on this tooth too….
I was shocked and I left the office with a temporary crown. I was upset and disappointed. I didn’t know what to do so I just took care of the wound with brushing and a little floss.
I went back the following week and for an hour he reconstructed the tooth. When he finiyI had the impression that the reconstruction was wiggling a little. He made another temporary crown and he was rather content with himself saying « I think I saved the tooth »
I think. He said.
I had another appointment for the following week to take the measures and molds for the permanent crown…..
When he took off the temp crowns the reconstructed tooth seemed to still wiggled a little
He proceeded to make the permanent crown and I releft with the temp crown for another week. During this week I noticed it was bleeding on and off
I went back for the permanent crown to be put on three days ago…and ….the new crown is in and it still wiggles a little…..
Ouf, a lot of words for this one question
Is it normal that there is a slight wiggle ?
Should I expect it to get better ?
I will be changing dentists after this
I am also thinking about writing to the the Federation or Association of Dentist or a lawyer
J marie
Front teeth wiggle. Are these front teeth? Sounds to me like one was in really bad shape and is borderline being able to be saved. May be normal and may not be. If you have concerns you can see another dentist. I wouldn’t bring up the crowns and see if the new dentist mentions them. If they do not then ask if they would give you their opinion of the crowns.
Had a crown that was done on a tooth over twenty-five years ago replaced. They said the tooth gets prepped differently for crowns now. It looked like a little nub was left for the placement of the new crown. (Before I could see the old tooth at the gum line so there was a lot of original tooth left). So, new crown has been fine for about 2 weeks. Now, I have slight cold sensitivity and pain when I bite down on something hard. Is this normal?
Maybe, maybe not. Bite could be off a bit. When a tooth gets a second crown it it often at pretty high risk of ending up with a root canal.
I have a large filling on my lower back molar. Last year the tooth started hurting and the dentist shaved the tooth down saying that if I suffered anymore pain in future or it got worse I would probably need root canal treatment. Last week the tooth started to cause me pain even when eating soft food and then it started to constantly ache. I went back to the dentist. She took an ex ray and said I need a crown. I was surprised and asked about root canal treatment and she said as there’s no infection I don’t need this but if the crown does not help I can have root canal treatment later. I am in the uk – root canal treatment is £60 – a crown is £250 – reading all the comments above of people that had similar issues and had a crown fitted that still caused pain and then were advised to have root canal treatment I am at a loss what to do. I am worried for myself this will be the case with me too and I throw away money and my tooth is ruined by being filed down meaning I will need a crown all my life from then on. What are your thoughts on this and could I simply ask my dentist to redo the filling?
If you need a root canal you HAVE to have a crown anyway so it is more conservative to try the crown first and see if that helps. It rarely does but since you have to do both anyway, you have nothing to lose but maybe feeling pain for a little longer.
I had my first crown procedure (no root canal) about three weeks ago and received my permanent crown a little over a week ago. The tooth is very sensitive to cold and I’ve been having problems brushing because my gums still hurt. I’ve noticed there’s a space between the gum and the crown in one area. Is this normal? I was told that the sensitivity could last a little bit, but I’m worried the crown wasn’t fitted properly along the gum line. While having the crown procedure I also had some side affects from the lidocaine. I was told it’s rare but can happen,but I’ve never had issues with local anasthetic before so I’m not sure if I was being told the truth? The dentist didn’t explain beyond having the dental assistant tell me that I must metabolize it differently from most people…
Crowns don’t always go to gumline so probably normal. If getting better that is good sign. Side effects to lidocaine are very unlikely. Some people get minor injuries from the injection that take time to heal.
Hi there, so I had an old filling that was deep and cracking so my dentist recommended a crown. He ended up saying he had to go deep and below the gum line to get a good tooth structure for the crown., and that I may be sore for several days. That if I had a lot of swelling that I may need antibiotics. Well today Is the 5 th day , I thought it was getting better but it’s still red and a little swollen and sore. its the weekend , so I saw a doc urgent care and got started on an antibiotic. Do you think I could have an abcess or that my crown may not be successful?im worried.
Would have to see to be of help.
This is very informative. I would like to share my problem. I clench and grind my teeth right from my days of work. Long story short because of grinding and clenching I was given mouth guard and inspire of that I had to u servo root canal for the both the upper and lower molars on my left side. The upper molar root canal was done last May and the lower one was done early part of this year. I had a metal fused porcelain crown for the upper which did not suit me and so finally last month I got the ceramic one for both of them done I mean the crown. I still co tinue to use the mouthguard and for a month I was fine but from past 2 days I started developing sensitivity only to hot in the upper molar. I still clench my teeth and grind in the night and so the guard is continued to be used. I also feel that the length of the crown is a tad short on the inner part of the upper molar. Could this be the cause of the sensitivity and throbbing pain that I have developed from past 2 days. My dentist has asked me to take ibuprofen 3 times a day for the next 5 days. I still have the dull aching pain in my upper molar and as a result my upper jaw also hurts. Can you please suggest some options or reason for this problem of mine. Thanks
The feeling of hot hurting is usually from a dead tooth that needs a root canal, so could be a different tooth. Dentists have something they test that with to determine for sure. Also root canals and whatever trauma led up to the tooth needing a root canal can result in abnormal pain perception. This is more of a nervous system issue and may or may not have anything to do with the tooth itself. If it is bad enough that you need to medicine you need to see your dentist or get a second opinion. If the dentist has access to a CBCT that would be very helpful in these strange cases.
How long after crown prep should I still feel sensitivity? I went on Thursday and I go back in a couple of weeks to be fitted for the mold. The base is on my prepped crown tooth but the pain almost feels like pressure and sensitivity around the tooth and not the actual tooth. When I shift my head to the opposite side, the pain minimizes but obviously I need to work so I can’t hold my head in a special position all day. Any suggestions to minimize the discomfort?
Sometimes they are still sensitive throughout the temporary phase as some temps do not fit very well.
Wow… I’m so glad to have found your blog..! very informative.
I have 2 issues with my right back teeth. I would appreciate if you could help me to understand what could be going on and if I should or shouldn’t be worrying about it too much.
1) Last August, I had a root canal done on #32 by endodontist.
They gave me ibuprofen 600mg. Although a few weeks after the procedure, I was still so much in pain.
I went back to endodontist. They took xray and did not see any problem. They said we should monitor and schedule for checkups.
6 months past and I still felt discomfort. Endodontist did hot/cold test and one area on the tooth was very sensitive. He said therd was no more nerve. I may have a chronic pain in the area. He told me to keep monitoring for now.
1 year past. At regular checkups, my tooth was still very sensitive with hot/cold test. I still feel some discomfort when touched (given pressure by finger). Monitoring again.
Not really sure what is going on..
2) Recently I changed my dentist.
They(new dentist) quickly decided to do Crowns on #30 and #31.
The filling on #31 was very close to the nerve.
My previous dentist had told me that if I started getting pain, then I would need a root canal.
I wasn’t aware of the condition of #30, so I was surprised when I was told about #30.
Immediately after they did Crown prep procedure on 30&31, my gum looked terrible, bleed by slight touch, and throbbing pain was TERRIBLE especially on 31..!!!
I honestly thought they scraped the nerve as they were shaping for crown.
I was taking ibuprofen 400mg×2 for a few days but the pain was excruciating, so I went back to my dentist.
They touched my gum and tapped #30&31, and said to me that I would need a root canal.
I was a bit upset, and told them what my previous dentist told me.
I wasn’t even given any option if I wanted to get root canal done by them or endodontist. They moved fast while I was confused and not sure.
Basically if they waited until I start getting pain, I would have gone to my endodontist to get root canal done, then my dentist could do crown.
Anyways, they prescribed me an antibiotics and ibuprofen 600mg for a week.
That wasn’t really working.
After meds are done, I went back to dentist for root canal.
During root canal procedure, anesthesia wasn’t working that well. They injected me more of it.
When they started inserting a file to remove nerve and tissues, I got an extreme sharp pain. I was putting up with it . But every time they insert file deeper the pain was so bad so I let them know.
They kept adding more anesthesia, total they injected 6 syringes, and that wasn’t working at all!!
They also figured out that #30 was super sensitive so they cemented a crown to see if the pain was from there or not.
That helped the pain in 30, but not 31.
They said “Oh the inflammation is bad, that’s why numbing goes away much sooner,”
As I couldn’t take the pain any more, I cried, and had them to stop the procedure.
They said that the nerve is already removed but still some tissues left so they would have to do the procedure again later on.
They prescribed me an another type of antibiotic.(clindamycin)
I was taking ibuprofen 800mg with it.
2 days in, the pain was still so bad.
They also scheduled me in for root canal before I finish Clindamycin (5days in).
I was very concerned about that so I called them to let them know of my pain. Dentist said that after 2days the antibiotic should kick in then you would feel the difference.
5 days in now, and I still have throbbing pain even after taking meds, and I feel like nothing is working.
Today I have an appoint to redo the root canal. I am so scared 🙁
Why this is happening? What could cause this problems?
I didn’t have any issue like this with my previous dentist and endodontist.
I had called my endodontist to ask his opinion, but he’s been on vacation until the end of this week. what a bad timing..!
Thank you for reading my long writing.
You may need second opinion in person.
I forgot to add that I still feel uncomfortable pain on #30 after crown is put on :/ I hope the trauma wasn’t caused to this tooth as well during crown prep procedure, and I hope I wouldn’t need a root canal on this tooth either :((((
Found out all the tooth numbering I wrote were wrong:(
I don’t know now, but the location that I have the major issue is 1 before the very bottom back tooth on the right side.
I couldn’t edit my comments, so ended up adding more comments. my apologies!
I appreciate your knowledge and willingness to share it!
Yesterday, I had a crown put on a back molar that had an old filling and small crack. The procedure went well, but just before putting on the crown, they blew air on the tooth and the pain was exquisite. I didn’t say anything about it. The area is sore/throbbing (which I’m hoping is normal healing) and it is painful enough when I bite down that I’ve avoided eating on that side. Can you tell if I’m already among the 10% who will need root canal?
[I wish I’d have asked you if I should even have the procedure because the tooth was not symptomatic, this is my first crown, and I’m someone who tends towards chronic pain from any medical procedures due to fibromyalgia.]
That’s normal. You’ll be fine. The 10% need root canal is WAY too high. I think I was close to that number my first year out of dental school but with vast improvements in materials over the years that number in my hands is essentially 0 if there is no pain before the crown.
Hi there. I had an old metal filling removed on my top back molar and refilled, ground down and got a temporary crown due to its size on 4/25/19. A little less than a week later, I got a sinus infection accompanied by a persistent headache on that same side of my face. The other symptoms subsided, but the headache has not. I’ve had to take pain relievers consistently throughout the day. I got my permanent crown 5/16/19 and the nerve pain was excruciating. The headache/toothache no longer responds to OTC pain reliever and is unbearable. The only relief I get is knocking myself out with sleep aids. Is it really possible that my bite being uneven can cause this immense pain or do you think I needed a root canal? I had no pain in the tooth before.
Sounds like root canal is needed. Get to dentist soon!
Hi, I had a tooth that had broken and was decaying. It was a molar Dentist cleaned it out and put a temp crown on it, I go back in a week for the permanent crown. Before the dental work I actually didn’t have any pain in the tooth. Eating was fine, no sensitivity to cold or hot. It has been a week since my appt and the pain is awful. Sometimes I can barely stand it and it makes me sick to my stomach. I can typically manage the pain with over the counter meds, like ibuprofen or Tylenol. However a lot of the pain is actually higher, up towards my ear, but my actual ear doesn’t hurt and no sign of ear infection. Is that normal? Should it be hurting this bad for this long??
That’s normal for a tooth that needs a root canal. The pain is often felt by the ear. It has to do with how our jaw is wired with our nervous system. It’s not a perfect system. What you are feeling is called referred pain is very common. A root canal will take care of it but your dentist will rule out other possibilities. Go see them before you are do again so they can figure it out before the day they plan to put the crown back on.
Can you please help me. I went to the dentist for a cleaning. No pain at all. He said my last molar on the left was cracked and I would need a crown. Got a crown. Couldn’t chew on that side of my mouth for months with multiple adjustments. I ended up getting the tooth pulled last week. How do I go from no pain, to a crown to my tooth being pulled!! When dentist pulled the tooth out, he said he didn’t see a crack at the root. I also believe he may have damaged the tooth in front if it. I am livid. I truly believe the tooth didn’t need a crown in the first place – now a good tooth has been pulled. I’m miserable.
Was a root canal an option? Why do you think the other tooth was damaged?
Thank you! The root canal was an option. However, both specialists that I saw suggested that I get the tooth pulled. They said that 50% of people after getting the root canal came back a few months later to get the tooth pulled and because of the pain I was having after the crown, they believed that crack had traveled to the root.
Hello, I had a root canal 6 years ago and didn’t get a new crown due to finances / no insurance. Now I’m in pain so the Endodontist recommended the dentist check to see if the decay went into the root canal / leaked and to basically take the old crown off and clean it out and see if it needs redone or not (Endo took catscan xrays and said it looks good but he can see a hole in the back of the crown with decay so hard to tell until they take off old crown). Dentist said no root canal needed and took off the old crown and cleaned it up apparently and put in a temporary earlier today. Tonight I’m in excruciating pain and they said it’s just a temporary crown, it’s not supposed to hurt. What should I do?
When there is a space in between teeth and food is getting wedged in then the tissue will bleed like crazy and when we go to fix it, the tooth will hurt a lot right after. That sounds like what you experienced.
Dentist said they’re was a ton of bleeding and decay while he was working on it. Surprised they didn’t give me a prescription for pain medicine or antibiotics if it was that bad. His dental assistant put the temporary on. Thought I’d add all that info. Here a letter the Endo sent to dentist that dentist apparently didn’t read so I showed him this while I was there. Glad I had a copy too.
Dear Dr. John Hastings,
RE: Tracy Thompson
Tracy Thompson was examined in our office on 5/22/2019 for evaluation of Tooth #3.
FINDINGS:
The root canal was done in 2013. The access was temporarily restored with glass ionomer. She never had a permanent fill placed or new crown. The occlusal filling is intact. Recently the tooth has been hurting especially to biting.
It appears normal apically. However, there is a carious open margin and an open contact with #2. She reports constant food trauma between those teeth.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
I recommend removal of the old crown and caries control. If the decay does not appear to reach the pulp chamber then a new crown is all that is needed. If on the other hand decay has exposed the gutta percha then it would be advisable to do a retreatment prior to permanent crown cementation.
Thank you most sincerely for your professional confidence.
William D. Brizzee, DDS
Diplomate American Board of Endodontics
That sounds like a very good plan.
I had a crown on a molar end of Nov 2018. I have been experiencing some discomfort for a few weeks now with sensitivity to cold foods and also when I bite down on certain foods. The discomfort is brief and most of the time I don’t have any issues with the tooth.
I did go back to the dentist who did an Xray and said nothing was showing to suggest a problem.
Do you think there might be an issue with the fitting of the crown?
No. More likely nerve is struggling. Bite could be off too. The last tooth can be tricky to get bite right and sometimes it changes on us and what was ok before the crown isn’t after. Cold is usually sign bite is high or nerve is dying.
Hi. I’m having a bit of a situation with 2 molars next to each other on the lower left. One tooth had a root canal a few months ago while the adjacent tooth was prepped for a crown but doesn’t need a root canal so I end up with 2 temporaries. Since I was having pain from the root canal dentist says to wait before putting on permanent crowns. Pain starts to subside after a few months so he does the crown elongation 10 days ago and puts the old temporary crowns back on. I go back and he says everything is healing well but I’m still having pain. He wants to make new temporary crowns for the time being and wait to put the permanent crowns on but the pain is still there. I’m taking 10-12 advil a day, rinsing with salt water but doesn’t seem to be getting better just temporary relief from the advil. I’m just getting worried that the root canal failed and the pain will never subside so I’ll need to have it removed. The tooth is also fractured so he warned me this might be the case. I’d hate to get the permanent crown since my insurance has run out only to then have to get an implant. At this point I feel like I should just tell him to stop working on it and take it out.
That may be best. That’s a lot of work for one tooth to endure.
Hello. Is it normal to have slight pain only when I knock my crown with some instruments? The other molars don’t hurt. In rest, it doesn’t bother me when I eat and dont have another pain. I had root treatment last month as well. And the crown for 2 weeks already.
Slight pain is normal
Hello!
I need help [ Permanent Crown pain & Sensitive teeth in general]
I got my permanent crown about a month ago before it fell off twice and when i bite down i get sharp pain in the middle of the tooth. I couldn’t eat for 2 weeks on the right side of my mouth. Today my jaw is still in a lot of pain due to me eating only on the left side. I went to the dentist the other day and she sanded a knot off my tooth but yet it still hurts to bite down , chew the most softest food and etc. I’m really tempted to not eat anymore and just drink meal replacement drinks since I can not eat anything and I can’t take the pain anymore. It’s very painful to eat yogurt, peanut butter sandwich, variety of different meats, bananas , or anything hard or soft! Honestly do not know what to do, It’s painful and I just can’t take it anymore. I either get it taken out or just drink meal replacement drinks those are my only two options I got right now.
Everyone thinks I am crazy & its just tooth bumps but to me it isn’t, I really need a second opinion & help.
Go get a second opinion then. That isn’t right and you may need a root canal or the crown is just way off.
until ? several months ?
Hi Bauer Bryan – I had a root canal treated premolar. the RC was done 3,4 years back. the tooth pained once in while so i proactively got it checked. it was decayed. As suggested by my dentist, i underwent cautery and post and core treatment and a crown was placed at sub-gingival margin. ( i have gathered this jargon from the dentist!) this was done around a month back. three days ago my crown came out without pain with little warning. I went immediately to place it back. the gums pained while trying to put it back, but the dentist kind of pressed on it and said that the gums would take some time to heal. but since that placement, i have shooting pain in the tooth. it seems to come from the tooth and not just the gums. the X-ray revealed an infection, but the dentist also saw a white line that ‘could be’ a fracture. the tooth is tender to feel, the crown has very little mobility and the moment the pain killer effect subsides, pain starts. I am on antibiotics for the infection, but after 5 doses of antibiotics, the duration of painkiller effect has got little longer. does this suggest that the pain could be due to infection and not fracture. i really dread getting the crown removed. the entire cautery, post and core process would be rendered futile, if i have to undo everything. please help.
Sounds like this tooth is likely not going to be with you very long. Sometimes despite everyone’s best efforts to save a tooth, it just doesn’t work out.
Hi Bauer – You are perfectly right! I had to get it extracted today! what a pain…the dentist offered to give it one more try because it was not fractured, was just infected….but i could not take the treatment any longer…i opted for removal….because she said it might not last long. didnt have the motivation to try saving it further. i just thought i would check your response just now…and was sooooo relieved to see that you also felt that it wouldnt last long. thanks. :).
One question – altho i know that no further action on that area would be done for long, is it ok to keep the void as it is (thats my preference) or should i sooner or later go for an implant? i have seen many people around who have missing teeth without any problems…i really dont want to undergo any further process now. please guide. thanks again!
Hello,
I have high anxiety with dentists and put off going for a couple years until June 5th my tooth broke. I went to a dentist that high ratings on yelp for an emergency appointment. They placed a crown on the tooth after grinding away some of my jaw bone to make sure it would sit, due to the location of the crack and break. They also informed me I would need a root canal on one of my teeth. I went to the Endodontist yesterday and had that root canal done. He caused my anxiety to go through the roof, I was crying and he was not very sympathetic. I said it was hard for me to pinpoint exactly which tooth was aching, because at my follow up for the crown they asked me. He mentioned that he didn’t think all of my issues were due to #18, the tooth I was there to do the root canal on, he thought my pain was also due to my tooth with the crown on it. He put a cold cotton ball on that tooth and I almost jumped out of my chair. He also mentioned a spot on my gums near the crown was Inflamed. My question is can you do a root canal on a tooth with a crown or will I have to lose my tooth? Does cold sensitivity mean I will need a root canal? And if I lose the tooth can an implant be placed there? There was talk of bone grafts and gum grafts at my first appointment as a worst case scenario and as I mentioned earlier I have anxiety and it’s hard for me to organize all the information presented to me at the time of these appointments. What options are there for someone like me that has such ridiculous anxiety about a dentist?
you need to write down your questions and ask your dentist these questions. Your anxiety will inhibit you from remembering them all when in the chair
Hi I had a crown put on about 5 weeks ago, I had no pain before the crown. Afterwards I have sensitivity to cold foods but otherwise no issues. What do you think? Thx:)
ask your dentist to test it
Dr. Bauer,
I broke a molar a few weeks ago and my dentist placed a temporary. I had no issues with the temporary. I was able to chew on it and had no pain. I went back for my permanent and now I have pain when I chew on that side. I went back to my dentist on Friday and they tried to adjust the bite. I am still having pain when chewing on it. I have no pain when brushing or drinking and it does not throb or hurt any other time. They are telling me my next option is a root canal. Its hard for me to pay more money for a root canal when I have no other pain expect when chewing. What are your thoughts?
get a second opinion and if they say same then you will have to decide if worth it or not
Hi
I had a tooth that had a big filling so my dentist told me the best plan for that in the long run was to get a crown. I got crown and I was in a lot of pain so I went back to him and he tested with biting on things how much pain I was in. When he took the temporary crown off and waited 5 minutes there was no pain at all, even biting down on cotton ball didn’t hurt. He said it was probally the bite as he also checked if needed root canal and everything looked good. So he shaved and fixed the bite. I still have a drop pain but weirdly this is a 2nd to last back bottom tooth and now I feel like my gums in the front teeth hurt and this happened right after. What would be the reason for that as it’s been 2 days already
2 days is too soon. I image by now you are feeling better though.
Hello! I’m so glad I found this site. A month ago I went in for a cleaning and the dentist said my upper left molar was chipped on the buccal. A few weeks ago, a different dentist (my usual dentist and this dentist work in the same building) prepped me for a temporary crown. When she did so, she of course gave me a few shots of numbing gel. However, when I got the shots, they were extremely painful. I could feel the needle going in and dispersing the gel. It felt like the needle was going deep into the muscle. I’ve gotten those shots before and they have never hurt me. I was groaning in pain because of it. I got the temp put on and it was generally sore. At night, my mouth would just ache. The other day, I went into the office to get my permanent placed. When the hygienist took the scissor-tweezer thing to my tooth, it hurt. She got the temp off and my tooth was extremely sensitive. I can’t even have air blown on it. My regular dentist came in, gave me topical and and numbing gel and it was excruciating. My regular dentist has never hurt me in the 10 years I’ve been going to him. I was literally crying because it hurt so bad. He gives me a few minutes for the gel to kick in and he starts to put the permanent in. Even with the topical and the numbing gel, it still hurt and I was still extremely sensitive. The permanent crown didn’t fit so they had to take it back to the lab. I’m supposed to go back to the dentist July 25th. I mentioned to him that the other dentist hurt me really bad, and that this has never happened before. He said he didn’t know what was going on. I’ve been scared that my nerve is damaged or traumatized, and my pulp is inflamed. I’m also scared that I’ll have to have a root canal. I’m scared because of the amount of pain I have experienced even with so much numbing gel. I don’t want to have to go through that amount of pain again. Even now, my mouth generally hurts. It’s a 5 on the 1-10 scale. It’s more annoying than anything. Sometimes, though, it’ll flare up and feel like I’m being stabbed. I have TMJ as well and my jaw has been really sore lately too. What do you think it could be? Do you think that other dentist hurt me or that my nerve is damaged? I’ve been trying to get in touch with my dentist and he hasn’t been in the office. I could get the other dentist but I don’t want her to touch me again just because of the pain association I have with being in her care. Thank you
holly have you tried nitrous before? Having gone through an experience that makes you scared will make it harder for the numbing to work in the future. Some teeth are harder to get numb and being nervous makes it even harder for the numbing medicine to work. Nitrous would help with that. If you came in and told me this story I would want to do something to help calm you so we could get the job done with as little pain as possible.
I had a temp bridge put in due to losing tooth number 8. We tried a crown on number 8 but the pain never went away so the dentist pulled the tooth( I tried the flipper but it felt loose and akward) ( I was hit with a bat as a child and had two root canals on it.) It has been a month and still in pain. The bridge was adjusted once. The extraction site wasn’t healed yet and the temp was up in the sore spot but the pain is near the root of the real tooth. The x- rays show nothing wrong. I ‘m at the point to wanting it pulled but feel awful about the other two teeth being ground down for nothing. I have only had 1 out of 4 root canals work for me due to many roots and curved roots they cannot reach. I feel depressed and sick over this whole thing and being as I’m in my fifties and have heart problems I think it may be best to just have a partial. I wonder if I can save the tooth that is not hurting me with a crown and just have the tooth that is bothering me pulled and then a partial? Please help me as I have been making the wrong decisions on so many things recently. I also wake up having panic attacks and smelling the drill so being put to sleep and a tooth removed seems less stressful.
That is strange to have pain in the extraction site still. Have you checked with an oral surgeon or periodontist or different dentist?
I’m regretting not getting the partial for number 8 tooth and being done with it
Sorry to hear that. Where do you live?
I just had a silver cap put on a root canal i had done almost 4 weeks ago. The gums around it, hurt SO bad, im crying at the moment, ice pack, 800mg ibuprofen, my mom said I should give it til tomorrow, i don’t know if I could make it the pain is so severe. This was worse than the root canal I had doneShould I call the dentist? Or try my best and stick it out
Call if it still hurts
Hi, I’ve been having some issues with my molar (#2). I experience sharp pain when biting down in certain areas of the tooth. I also have a large composite filling on that tooth. The dentist suggested putting on a temporary crown and waiting 1 month to see if the pain went away before continuing with the permanent crown. Well when she was putting on the temp crown, she discovered I had a crack in my own tooth and a crack in the large filling. She said she filed down the crack and then put the temp crown on. I thought it was really strange she wouldn’t take out the cracked filling but she said if she does that I definitely need a root canal because it’s so close to the nerve. Does this sound right? Putting a temp crown and possibly permanent crown on a cracked filling? I understand I probably don’t have much tooth structure left without the filling but she said from the x-rays there was no decay so it was fine. It’s been 6 days with the temp crown and I still have the same biting pain as before. I went back to do a bite adjustment but everything was fine and she started filing healthy teeth. She still wants me to wait the full month before we decide what to do next but I feel like if I’m still feeling the pain when biting, the temp crown obviously isn’t working. I understand her not wanting to do a root canal, I don’t have any temperature sensitivity or pain aside from biting and even when I do bite the pain isn’t bad. What are your thoughts on this matter? Should I push for her to take out the large cracked filling or is it enough for the crown to hold it in place? Does a root canal seem likely? Thank you so much!
She is being conservative which I think is fine. I think the odds are likely you will end up with a root canal if it still hurts to biting after the bite adjustment. It sounds like you are in good hands and she is being cautious to not over treat. I know sometimes us dentists do not want to deliver bad news unless we have to so we are hesitant to say the tooth needs the root canal until we are 100% certain.
I live in Mt Orab Ohio. My dentist is in Wilmington. I’m still in pain and the dentist called today and wants to put the permanent crown on Thursday but I am not sure it is a good idea until I’m out of pain. I have an appointment with an oral surgeon the 13th and if the pain doesn’t go away I may have them pulled. The pain is in the one tooth that was ground down not the extraction site anymore. The other tooth that was ground down is still sore around the gums are sensitive. The temp tooth was up in the extraction site before it was healed and that was causing me pain until the dentist redid the temp. The original temp was done by his assistant and it felt awful. I am so depressed over this dental pain and feel like it will never end. Thank you for responding.
Do you think I should get the permanent bridge on with still being in pain? Should I just get them pulled and get a partial because root canals usually fail on me. I’m confused as to what the right decision is. Thanks
I had a root canal and then a crown put about two month ago and it was fine, now it hurts so bad that the right side of my face is in complete pain i cry, what is happening?
Have you seen a dentist? That should be your next step.
Dr. Bauer,
Thank you in advance for your input. I had a RC on #15 upper left molar farthest back in my mouth a few weeks ago. RT procedure went fine and followed up with the temporary crown 1.5 weeks later which felt great in my mouth. Last Wednesday the permanent crown was installed and it felt tight in my mouth like it was pushing on the next tooth. I also felt the bite was slightly off and my dentist adjusted it at the same appointment and it felt better. He said the tight sensation is normal and should go away in about 24 hours. It did taper off over the next couple of days but the sensation has turned into a slight but persistent pain all day long (exacerbated by chewing/pressure on tooth). I feel like my bite feels normal and the pain definitely feels like #15 and not the neighbor tooth. Could it still be that my bite is off? I can tell it is not the nervy pain I felt prior to the root canal but I feel like it is my tooth and not the gums which don’t feel sensitive at all. Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide.
Yes can be bite again. If it was tight and the tightness is gone that means the tooth moved backwards just a hair BUT that hair then changes the bite again. So yes can be the bite again even though was perfect on the day it was delivered. Can be tricky to get it fined tuned perfectly.
Hi,
I got my first crown a week ago. The dentist said my tooth would be “a little sore” when the numbing stuff wore off. When it did wear off the soreness was pretty bad, throbbing pain. 600mg of ibuprofen worked to take the pain away for a bit. Every day since I have needed to take Ibuprofen. The pain is weird though. I’m feeling dull, mild aching in my jaw, cheek, ear, neck, and pain when I chew anything on that side. I’m even getting pain in my lower teeth when the crown was performed on an upper tooth. The Ibuprofen typically works pretty well. Should I be concerned and call my dentist or should I just give it some time?
Could be trismus or could be normal. Might want to go check with dentist if not better by now.
Good afternoon! I have been having lots of problems with my teeth lately. I’ll try to summarize.
#14 – December 2017 I mentioned sensitivity in gums above root (tooth was pain free) – dentist reassured me xrays looked fine – mentioned again in March 2018, same response. Went to new dentist in August 2018, he immediately referred me to endodontist for root canal and large abscess above tooth. September 2018 root canal performed but not finished, medicine placed in roots, oral antibiotics given. October 2018 follow up, abscess still present, given different course of antibiotics, told to wait a month. November 2018 abscess still present; told to wait a month. December 2018 abscess still present; told to wait a month. January 2019 abscess still present; endodontist performed cone beam 3D X-ray and notice hairline crack in root of tooth. Referred back to dentist for extraction. February 2019 at consult with dentist he shows me the damage the abscess has done (lots of bone loss; deep indentation in the bone and small hole that goes all the way through the bone). Referred to oral surgeon for extraction due to the amount of bone loss. March 2019 oral surgeon removed tooth, bone graft, socket preservation – was told he used twice as much in the graft as usual. July 2019 dentist performed cone beam 3D X-ray to plan for implant. Being referred back to oral surgeon for sinus lift/implant due to lack of good bone.
#15 – May 2019 had deep silver filling replaced with composite filling – no pain before filling
#18 – May 2019 received crown – no pain before crown – sensitivity to cold after crown
#27-#30 June 2019 had gum allograft performed by periodontist
I used to chew on both sides of my mouth. After #14 was removed in February 2019, I had to chew exclusively on right side until allograft was performed in June. Since allograft, I’ve been chewing on left side, which is difficult with missing teeth #14 and #16. #19 also has a crown/root canal (performed approx. 5 years ago). That root canal was a “hot tooth” in that after trying to numb it numerous times, he had to drill a hole in the bone before it would go numb. No issues since.
For the last two weeks, I’ve had throbbing pain, but I can’t pinpoint if it’s #15, #18, or #19 as it radiates around that entire area. I saw my dentist 4 days ago and he adjusted my bite, thinking it might’ve been from the recent filling/crown and chewing exclusively on that side. The pain has been getting slightly worse each of the last 4 days. I’m wondering if I need a root canal. Is it possible the infection from #14 is still present? I was told to wait a week or two to see if it was bite issue that calms down but after months allowing abscess to do so much damage, I want to be more proactive.
Go get another consult. Maybe with an endodontist. Actually go see that same endo.
Ive had cracked tooth syndrome on my back molar for around 8 months, and recently got my tooth prepped for onlay. I would say the tooth is about 90% better. Only a very slight twinge when eating very hard foods, so it seems to have stabilized the crack significantly. I just have a temporary acrylic onlay right now, but I still have a very small amount of sensitivity to cold,tapping, and crunchy things. Does this sound normal for temporary onlays/crowns and can I expect this to get better, or if it doesn’t, should my tooth still be okay for a long time if I am careful with it?
These are tough calls. I usually opt to do the root canal unless all pain is gone before cementing or bonding the final crown/onlay. It seems to me that the vast majority of people end up back in my chair a few years later needing a root canal anyway. I can totally see just monitoring though also if it is that much better. The choice is up to you and your dentist can best advice you.
I had a root canal done 5-6 years and did not realise the importance of the crown. Around 4 months ago the tooth fractured and the dentist said I have to put a crown now. All has been done and I felt no pain until about a month ago. The pain would star and disappear, but it was not too strong. Last weekend the pain got much worse and I went to see a dentist on Monday. He checked X-ray and said there is no further fracture or infection. He took the tooth off the bite by shaving part of it. Since then the pain gets better and worse again. How long do I need to wait for it to heal or shall I go back to see the dentist?
Go back and see the dentist
Had a crown installed on second molar; first day after procedure had some slight sensitivity to cold, 2nd-3rd day the same, but also pain during biting and some minor ache when lying down/sleeping. Is it still settling down (and perhaps needing some height adjustment) or is the constant ache more indicative of RCT?
That’s pretty normal but also normal for high temp so hard to say this early.
I had a broken molar that was fixed with a crown just this past week and it feels like it didn’t quite work fully? One of the edges of the tooth feels rough unlike the rest of it. I guess I should probably go back to the dentist ASAP? It’s really disheartening since I had to pay so much for this one thing.
It doesn’t help that I’m a jaw clencher and my jaw strength is basically like an alligator’s at this point…
Do you have a temp in? They are rough. If final crown just go back and they will smooth it. Sometimes the point of the tooth feels rough to people because they have not had an ideal tooth for so long and we end up having to soften the edges a little for them.
I recently had a [permanent] crown done on #31, it’s been ~19 days since then and I’ve recently started chewing on that side again, but now a very mild, intermittent pain has developed, and the tooth has gotten heat and cold sensitive.
The crown is definitely a little longer than the original and I’m 99% sure the height/bite is off as well, could that be a reasonable explanation for the new symptoms?
The decay went relatively deep, but they seemed fairly confident that I wouldn’t need an RCT. From what I’ve gleaned, rear molars seem to be especially tricky, so I’m trying to be a little optimistic
Really appreciate the help,
Thanks
A high bite will make tooth sensitive for sure
Good evening. This is a wonderful page. I had a root canal on tooth 14 in December of 2017, the crown was placed about 3 months later. When pressing on the nasolabial fold on my left side ever since the root canal (well, after the healing phase), it just seemed a little achy but never when not pressing on that area! Fast forward to June of 2019, had a bit of discomfort over that tooth in the gum area and found out I needed an apicoectomy for a tiny bit of infection. Had that done and all went well – soft, cold/cool foods, lots of kefir (!) and did very well at the one week checkup (stitches taken out) and the four week checkup (said I could resume all preop stuff including Oral B electric toothbrush, WaterPik, and flossing). This past week, I developed a stuffy sinus on that same side and now the nasolabial fold area is having the same feeling as after the root canal but before the apicoectomy. The gum is not inflamed, no fever but whatever that muscle is (if it is even a muscle) in the gum above tooth 14 is achy if I press on it. I am not poking very hard as I know the apicoectomy needs at least 6 months to hopefully fill in with bone. Any ideas what could be happening? Everyone in the house having sinus pressure/pain (allergies/colds) and wondering, actually hoping, that is all it is with mine. Have a vacation scheduled with my 3 yo granddaughter in 2 weeks and I won’t miss that! 😉 I am supposed to see the endodontist on Wednesday after calling for an appointment. Oh, and lots of stress lately and I am a hard clencher. I have store purchased mouth guards but also have an appointment with my regular dentist next week for custom made mouth guards. I am a nervous wreck as I have never had any oral problems until the root canal 2 years ago! Thank you!
Go see whoever did the apico. Could be sinus, could be the tooth is fractured, could be something else. A CBCT would help but you should at least try to do some sinus flushes first with something like a neti pot or NeilMed
Thank you. I am seeing him tomorrow.
I had 3 temporary crowns fitted 10 days ago, one top left and two bottom left. The top isn’t too bad but the two bottom crowns are giving me pain, which Ibuprofen relieves for about 12 hours. Is it normal to still have pain after 10 days or does this indicate that I’ll need root canal?
10 days out is not normal. Could be bite, gums, or needing a root canal.
I had a crown placed on the second to last molar on the lower right side in February. I was never able to chew anything hard (and barely anything soft) on the right side. I went back five times due to pain, and each time the dentist or assistant drilled on the crown to shave it down. You know…tap, tap, tap, grind, grind, grind, drill, drill, drill. Multiple root xrays showing the root is okay.
Finally, three weeks ago, they replaced the crown shaving down the remaining tooth before placement. This new crown is better than the first one, but I STILL can’t chew anything hard, and the tooth is sensitive to hot and cold.
I’m going to make an appointment next week. For heaven’s sake, how long should I suffer? How many times should I accept the “shaving down” again before I… I honestly don’t know what to do. What do I do?
Thank you.
Yeah just get the root canal and end your suffering.
I had a root canal done and a crown was placed on Aug16 2019. It was ok for a week and now I am again sensitive to cold. Is this normal. The same teeth had undergone root canal twice because the first time when they did my root canal they did not do it properly and hence my 2nd dentist had to redo the complete root canal thing again.
Not normal. You should not feel cold after a root canal. Possibly coming from a tooth next to it.
I would just like to say….dentists suck.
Everyone should just live with the pain, and let their teeth fall out as they get old. Seriously…the pain will go away, eventually.
Let me explain how dentists just screw you over in the hope that people will not stress about a little problem…like one tooth and end up with a bigger problem.
So, I have great teeth…keep them clean and go decades without seeing a dentist.
I decide, maybe I should go get a cleaning.
I have a crown from when I was a child, and I think all the vibrating f the cleaning around it, loosens it.
I bite something hard and hear a crack and now I think I have a leaky crown.
I go to have it replaced and the dentist has me open my mouth wide for soo long.
He tells me he thinks I may clench my teeth when I am really concentrating.
Really? Everyone does this. But somehow he thinks I should do jaw stretching exercises.
He shows me how to stretch my jaw.
I dislocate my jaw. Yes. This is a major health injury.
All thanks to the dentist.
P.S. If you are flexible with your joints, never believe anyone who thinks jaw stretching exercises may be a good idea.
Also, I had to MAKE him replace my crown with a gold crown because he didn’t like how it would look cosmetically.
Really? We are meant to lose teeth….that’s why we have wisdom teeth.
Only, I wasn’t born with any.
But, I am fully prepared to lose this tooth, twice crowned…one day. But I think gold gives me the best option of having it the longest.
However, we need to get over this overpowering desire to have white perfect teeth as we age. My father never lost a tooth, taught me how to clean them everyday, floss, cleaned his tongue with a spoon, and died with super strong, yellow and crooked teeth that never saw the inside of a dentist’s office.
Let’s get back to the right priorities. Instead of spending thousands desperately trying to prevent pain or save our beauty.
Implants have risks. Make sure you are willing to ask it for your perfect smile.
I knew a 90-year-old women who got talked into getting all new implants.
She died a few days after the final procedure was done, trip after trip to the dentist.
Is this really what dentistry has become?
A REMOVABLE bridge is probably the only thing I would ever consider as it is the least damaging to whatever teeth I have left. Read up about them. They are a great option that allows you to clean your teeth, chew, and keep existing placement.
That or implants. Correct.
New temp crown today on tooth 3. I think dentist is great. He mentioned a pain pill if discomfort. The numbing is wearing off and the tooth has some light throbbing and light pain. How long can I expect to have this – hours, days, weeks? Its a month before I get the final crown.
i have two questions.. on my right upper side i have a crown with no root canal. it has been fine nothing of discomfort . its over a year old. I bite down on some chicken wings but it was like a piece of gristle felt uncomfortable but not really alot of pain . lit hit one side of the crown and it did not feel good sort of in between the crown and tooth in front of it and hit a corner of the crown and it is sore today. only in that spot of the crown though not the hole crown . if that makes sense ? if i take my finger and push on it it sends a slight ache up on that side of my crown . but not the middle or the other side of the crown did it just bite high or off and it is sore and will go away ?>
Second , my left side i have two crown next to each other .The gum lines are sore .. the dentist said it could be just sensitive gums however my other ones are not. i do not have sensitive gums. .. he did an adjustment or he called it a treatment at the gums and said should get better . it has in the center of the crown at gums lines but it still bothers me where the gum lines go in between the the teeth. so if i brush or rub back on forth on the teeth they feel sensitive … biting is not any pain or anything . but for example if i scratch my cheek I can feel the sensitivity . what can be done?
Good evening,
Well I too have a “crown” issue… I had a deep filling that was sensitive and the dentist recommended a crown. So in June I had the tooth (upper left side molar) ground down and a temporary crown put on for almost 2 weeks. During this time the dentist told me to pay attention if I had any pain or sensitivity. If I did he was going to recommend getting a root canal. So after the two weeks I went in explained I had no sensitivity or pain so he put the permanent crown on. Well I was gone for several weeks and had some sensitivity but nothing extreme with the crown. I came back home within a day or two of flossing again and “wham” I started having terrible throbbing and horrible sensitivity to the tooth. I took ibuprofen and iced the area. I immediately called the Dentist office and they squeezed me in within two days. By this time my gum (way at the outside top) was super sensitive/sore to touch. No abscess or swelling. Also I couldn’t use my Oral B to brush that tooth- it was like torture! At my appointment the dentist took X-rays and because I passed the cold/tapping & X-rays looked ok -he determined it’s probably my bite. So he shaved down the crown, gave me a rinse ($35) and said give it a week. If not better see the other Dentist for a possible root canal.
So my question, could I have done something wrong when flossing the area? I used waxed floss (which I forgot and didn’t floss while gone). It’s so weird that after flossing and using my Oral B again (used a manual toothbrush while gone) the crown started throbbing so?!! Could I have knocked the cement loose?! I’m on day 2 of the rinse and “let’s wait and see”. The throbbing is not as bad. I’m totally eating soft foods and taking ibuprofen a few times a day. Can a crown that needs grinding down cause such nerve/throbbing pain? I almost wish I had the root canal from the onset. I’ve had several nights of pounding/throbbing nerve pain. It’s the first tooth pain since my 20’s (I’m 58 now). I have crowns that are 30+ years old! I never remember this kind of pain.
So, after reading many of the comment rebuttals from you, I’m sure you’ll agree a root canal is in order if the pain doesn’t subside soon. Is there a test (a sure way) of knowing if the crown is correctly sealed? I’m still stuck on the fact that I had no pain until flossing and using my Oral B? Or maybe just a Coincidence that it happened to shake up the nerve somehow? I’m sure you get many interesting questions but the timing made me question this. Lol Thanks, Sleepless in Sacramento
By now you probably already know the answer. If you still have pain then likely time for a root canal.
Hi! I broke a tooth two months prior to my dentist appt (tooth # 30 I believe; I am counting the wisdom tooth as tooth 32).
The tooth had 3 fillings, including an old ceramic from when I was a teenager (I am now 41. )
I had no pain prior to the appointment. Dentist, who is new for me but seems very good said it needed a crown. There was some decay under the fillings. He tested it with ice to make sure it was still alive and it was.
I had a lot of pain from the temp crown for the full 2 weeks between appointments. I requested they put on the perm crown with temp cement. But when I went back he tapped on my teeth (& noted the crowned tooth was actually less sensitive than my other teeth) and said he was confident that the tooth was fine and that I could have the new crown cemented on permanently.
He said I grind my teeth and that may be what is
contributing to the pain from the temp crown.
The tooth was quite sore right after the appointment and for about a week after. It was mostly intermittent throbbing/radiating pain that started/spread after eating, after flossing and at night. It spread through my lower teeth and jaw. Sometimes I did need to take an Advil.
It’s been 2 weeks and my tooth since the permanent crown went on and the pain has improved I would say 95%. I’ve recently started eating again on that side and flossing around the crown and it seems better (the next inner corner of my jaw is a little sore sometimes.) I no longer need to take Advil at all.
I also bought a drug store brand night guard and will probably go get a custom one from this dentist.
My question is: How likely is it that this tooth has all healed up for good? Or has it actually died on me? How likely am I to need a root canal on this tooth at some point in the future? And if so, do I wait for the tooth to be painful or be more proactive about it?
I’m thrilled that a root canal doesn’t seem imminent but am concerned about future complications and the cost of treating them. I only have one other crown (gold) and it’s on a root canalled tooth. That tooth caused me tremendous pain pre-root canal but was pain-free during and after the crown procedures. This tooth was basically the opposite.
It good be dead or alive. If you can still feel cold, then it is alive. Anytime a tooth hurts that bad the chances of needing a root canal in your lifetime is pretty high.
I had a crown put in on my last lower molar, and since I have been chewing/ biting my cheeks and I have bits marks. I went back to my dentist and all she said is that I have to get used to my new crown.
I feel so frustrated …
That is frustrating. It may be or it may the crown. Can’t tell you which though.
Hello, Dr Bauer!
Hoping you can help or at least offer your opinion. I had an old metal filling replaced with a permanent same-day crown (#30) on 9/11. Mouth was sore and sensitive afterwards, but pain began getting worse a few days later to the point of moderate/severe. Went back to dentist yesterday 9/16…said it appeared that bite was off significantly, which was likely the culprit. Filed crown down, and then did x-ray and root testing (tapping, CO2 snow, etc..) and root appeared to be okay and healthy (reversible pulpitis). Initial crown work and build-up was far from the root, so any need for a root canal seemed highly unlikely. Also, no sign of abscess or swelling. Today, I am still in major pain that radiates up my jaw and in front of my ear, but dentist and I both decided to wait another day or so to see how I progress before coming back in. Is it possible that the area was so inflamed from the initial trauma and the bite being off for 5 days that it’s just going to take a little longer for the pain to subside? Any point in taking antibiotics (prescribed “just in case”) if there is no visible sign of infection? Thanks so much for your time!
No antibiotics. Give it time as the trauma of high bite can take several days. As long as getting better everyday that is good. Advil usually helps a lot because it decreases the inflammation.
I had part of an old filling fall out of my molar. The dentist pulled out the filling and put in a new filling but said I should get a crown because the filling was large. After 3 months with the filling and no pain, we did the temporary crown. No pain. Went to get the permanent crown, no pain for about a month. One day bit into something and crown hurt. I ignored it for about a week but it kept hurting when I bit down. Went to dentist, checked bite, it was good. He said it may just be temporary and to not chew on it for awhile. A week later it’s gotten worse, cold sensitivity and minor throbbing. How can I go from no pain to this much pain after a simple crown? I am considering having it extracted as my last root canal on the other side has left me with intermittent chronic pain. Everything was fine for a month, I don’t get it. Any other possibility other than the crown messed with my nerve and now I’m basically stuck with a RC or extraction? Thank you!
Sounds like the tooth has been through a lot, a filling falling out tells me it likely had decent amount of decay when this all started. Now it sounds like your nerve has had enough and is starting to die. Extraction is an option.
Sorry, yes those are likely your only two options, root canal or extraction.
Glad I found this site, and thank you for taking the time to comment!
I had a permanent, zirconia crown put in 2 weeks ago on tooth #19 (no root canal). I grind my teeth when I sleep, and I wear a night guard, hence the recommendation to go with zirconia material. During the fitting, the crown sat high, so the dentist had to shave it down what felt like quite a bit (the fitting duration took a while…lots of shaving, tap tap on the film, remove, more shaving…). I’ve had 2 other crowns (#18 and #30) done years ago, and those have ridges/grooves on them. This new one is perfectly flat/smooth. Is that right? I feel like since the dentist had to shave it down since it was too high, the surface is now flat/smooth. It’s been exactly 2 weeks and I still feel sensitivity (usually will last for about 3-5 secs) with cold liquid. I can’t really chew on the left side like I normally would (before the crown), but I can handle semi crunchy foods. Is that normal? Could the sensitivity be from the excess shaving of the crown, so there is now a thin layer, not enough “thickness” to cover the shaved down permanent tooth?
Adjusting the bite did probably remove the grooves. They are not critical. Could be normal symptoms. Whenever symptoms are slowly getting better that is good sign. If getting worse then it’s a bad sign. Impossible for me to say if it still has a lot of thickness or not.
Hi, I had four crowns prepped up and installed all at the same time , along with one filling… the appt. was over 4 hours and the dentist went back an forth to other patients. The very young assistant made my temp. crowns. I thought that my jaw hurt from having my mouth open so I took ibruprofen and used ice. I went to the dentist office a week before the permanent crowns installation and the dentist asked if I need stronger pain medicine, I said no. Then when I had the temp. crowns taken off the teeth were so sensitive that the young assitant could not clean them for me and the dentist had to do it himself. He said that the temp. crown (s) , a couple of them had a space near gum. God. It was painful.
Now , approaching two months after the permanent crown installation I finally ate something substantially chewy or harder which was a couple slices of pizza. Now , one hour later before bed I felt some nerve tingle pain in the center . It only lasted a short while . Then I felt a little faint pain in my jaw like I did with the temp. THis was all short and tolerable but it scares me to death. Only one other time did the center of one of the crowns tingle a bit. Is this nerve tingle/light pain which did not last … and after eatting the pizza slices normal? I dread that I might need to get a root canal. I also don’t want to make tons of un necessary trips to the dentist… What do you think? thanks so much.
That’s a lot of dental work for one visit so there’s a chance something could be going on. Getting the bite right on that many can take a visit or two extra. Might want to check back in with dentist.
Hi , I had a root canal and a crown on top about 1.5 years ago. Today during my lunch my 3rd molar ( I believe number 32) start hurting really bad, I ran to the dentist. She didn’t touch my mouth at all ( I was under great pain, I wanted the tooth out), she gave me antibiotics and a pain medicine. She said lets wait for two days, she gave me a telephone number for an emergency oral surgeon just in case. She didn’t want to work the tooth. I got a amoxicillin 875 mg and Clavulanate Potassium 125mg. plus a pain killer.( Going for a Tylenol) . The pain killer lasted for about 7 hours. going to take another before bed time. I took the antibiotic and I will see another doctor for a second opinion tomorrow. I never thought the tooth pain can be that bad.
Hi just been to Turkey to have work done iv had 3 bridges and iv also had 19 crowns very traumatic I love my new teeth I also had 1 root canal done and I’m still in pain on bottom left hand side I no it’s only been 3 days ibuprofen seems to kill the pain also on antibiotics will this settle or would I need more canal treatment o was getting the pain before crowns was put but dident no where it was coming from
Hi, I have a mystery with a pain between my two upper right molars. I went to my dentist who x-rayed and saw decay in the last #2 molar, so he did a filling back in July, but the tooth ended up fracturing in the inside of the tooth, the piece that broke off was just above the gum line. I then got a root canal and temp filling in August. The filling went all the way across to the other tooth. I was in more pain between the two molars because of the temp filling.
Then my dentist in late August removed the temp filling and reconstructed the tooth and put a permanent Zirconium crown on. The pain between the teeth dropped after 4 days from a higher level of pain to a lower level. That was 2 months ago, and it still is hurting in the same area between the teeth.
The dentist last month cleaned between the teeth and root to see if that was the problem. That did not help. I went back to the root canal doctor to see if it failed, and he said no, and also asked him about the #3 tooth next to the other tooth. He said it was ok too, as did my dentist. The root canal doctor said he thought it might be a gum problem.
So today, I went to a Periodontist, and he said gums were alright, and he did the tap test on both molars, and said the only thing left was my bite may be off from the crown. So now I am to go back to my dentist to re-check the bite on my molars.
Its very frustrating, because the pain level has been elevating recently, I cannot stop the pain with any pain killer (does not work), and really don’t have a clue, and apparently the three dentists don’t either.
When I rub my tongue between the teeth I feel a little elevation of pain. Thats why I thought it was a gum problem. Has the root canal failed? Was the periodontist wrong and it is a gum problem? Any ideas to this mystery?
Could the bite being off cause this kind of localized pain, if one of the molars is too high? Its a dull ache, and hurts when I rub my tongue between the teeth. Sometimes I get a pain in my temple (head) above the tooth. I also suffer from dry mouth at night.
Thanks..
Does floss snap between the teeth? We want tight contacts between those teeth and upper back teeth are notorious for shifting just slightly and creating a space in-between the two. If there is even a slight opening in-between the teeth and food gets stuck in-between then that can cause some pretty intense pain.
Yes, there is a gap, and food does get inbetween the teeth. The periodontist said the gums looked ok…maybe he was not thorough enough.
A new development , I am getting some pain now in the root canal tooth…. I guess pressure pain, and if I move my tongue on the tooth. If I put my finger above the tooth in the gum area where the roots are, there is pain too. Is that a sign of root canal failure, or can this pain be caused by shifting teeth or bite?
Tomorrow I will see the endontist to evaluate what is going on.
I paid thousands for the crown, so now I am thinking extraction and implant might be the better option at this point. Don’t want to pay for another rebuild & crown if root canal has to be redone. I originally was going to get an implant, but my dentist convinced me to try this first… This has been a nightmare from the start.
It’s that space where the food is getting stuck. Dentist needs to replace the crown or find another way to close the space. It’s common issue which is why I guessed you had a space there and why I guessed you were getting food stuck there.
Hello, I had an onlay placed on my back molar covering all cusps I believe, on a tooth with cracked tooth syndrome. It still have biting sensitivity and temp sensitivity to cold, but no lingering pain. Pain Goes away immediately.
Shoulder I find a dentist that has specializes tools (transillumination/microscopes) to detect cracks?
Or will the next step pretty much be to try a full crown with temporary cement (in case of needing a root canal), regardless of if i go to another dentist that can localize the crack or keep using my current dentist.
Thanks!
Update: Endontist visit was helpful. The new pain over the root canal tooth and crown appears to be a new canker sore. The periodontist missed this. Maybe I should try another periodontist to look for gum issues.
The original dull ache between the two teeth is still a mystery and misery and continues. The Endontist took a Narrow Beam tomography x-ray today, on my request just to make sure the root canal and tooth were not to blame. According to him, the tooth and roots look good.
He is suggesting its a gum issue, possibly compressed gums causing the pain. The other endontist I spoke with said the same thing.
Have you ever heard of gums getting squeezed causing issues between teeth? I just can’t figure where the dull ache is coming from.
Worst case its still a tooth issue that does not show up on x-rays.
Thanks…
Hi, I had a temporary crown put on tooth #31, 11 days ago. I had some discomfort after but that went away. Starting last night around 4am I woke up with throbbing pain. I took 2 ibuprofen and it relieve some of the pain but still hurts. Should I be concerned that it was fine for almost 2 weeks and is now acting up? I am due to go back for my permanent crown on 11/4/19. What do you think is going on with my temporary crown? And, what do you recommend I do? It’s Friday and I really don’t want to be in pain all weekend.
Could be a fluke could be more than that. You’ll know in a few days. You have done the right thing so far.
An update on my mystery crown pain in the gums. It originally felt and still does hurt inbetween the two molars, but now I realize that it hurts right at the gum line all around the #2, but only where about the crown meets the tooth. Any clues from this? Only percocet can tamp down the pain, nothing else works, and even that does not completely eliminate it. I started getting pains and headache in my temples (is that a tension headache?) and slight nausea. Been to 2 root canal doctors, my dentist, and a periodontist. No one has a clue!
Could the crown be too far down and hitting the gums or bone in a way that would cause continuous pain. Could the pain in the gums be caused by the tooth being too high and needing adjustment? Have you ever seen anything like this?
Thanks!
Read a bunch of posts and would really value your opinion.A large filling and part of my molar broke out. Temporary crown put on last Friday. Throbbing consistent pain since then, not subsiding. Went back today they readjusted bite and suggested root canal if condition stays the same. Is it common to go from pain free tooth,with a large filling, to needing a root canal? Should I get the root canal done at another Dentists office?
Not common but happens enough for me to write this blog about it and for thousands of people to read it (daily btw). It’s more likely the bite was high but you’ll know in few more days.
Thank you for the response. I very much hope that it is just the bite.
Two weeks ago I went to my dentist because of a cracked molar that was starting to become sensitive. After an x-ray he started to prepare the tooth for a porcelain crown. No pain during the procedure and only a little bit of soreness on the gum that lasted for a day. Not long after that I noticed my bite was too high on the side where my temporary crown was and as the days went by an ache developed whenever I chewed that increased and spread to my other teeth. After getting the crown adjusted it felt level with my other teeth and the ache went away. Now most of the time I don’t have any problems but once in a while usually when I’m not doing anything I feel a mild ache on the side where the cracked tooth is but it is not as bad as when I had the high bite. Chewing on the tooth does not aggravate it but I do not chew hard foods on that side. Most days I don’t feel an ache. The dentist did a lot of drilling on that tooth so I am wondering if it just takes time for this tooth to calm down and it will improve when I get the permanent one on (next week)? Last time I was at the dentist getting the temporary crown adjusted he said that my gums looked fine.
Teeth that are already sensitive when we prepare them for a crown are at much higher risk of needing a root canal in the near future.
I had a crown placed after my dentist said I had cracks in an old filling. I never had any issues with the tooth but I went ahead with getting the crown to prevent issues later. I had it done and have had problems ever since. With the temporary there was pain, which I assumed was normal. I went in and had the permanent placed with temporary cement in case I need a root canal. Is it normal to go from no issues to all this pain? Prior to the crown my tooth never had one single issue.
Normal no. Possible yes.
Hi
I was having pain in my left side tooth. I went to dentist, he took xray and told me i have cavity in premolar tooth. He cleaned the cavity and did the filling but after 10-15 days still i was not able to chew from that side. So i went to dentist again. He took xray and told me i need root canal. I went for root canal treatment in 4 stages.
first he cleaned the roots, then on second visit he did the filling , on third visit he reduced my tooth and took the size for crown, on 4th visit he fitted the crown and made adjustments. It was 7-10 days gap between each stage. After first 3 stage, i did not feel any hot and cold sensitivity, i took it in positive way that my tooth is healing, i still was feeling pain on pressure and slight throbbing pain but it was reducing. My dentist took xray before 3rd visit to check if root canals healing well or not. Everything seemed normal in xray. But after 4th visit in which i got permanent crown, i was feeling throbbing pain for initial days and mainly because of hot food and drinks.. Even after medicines i t was not reducing. I went to my dentist on 3rd day, he checked the tooth by injecting hot water around treated tooth. I was not able to tell him exactly where i am feeling pain so he told me to take 1 week time thn visit again. So i took 1 week time but throbbing pain was still there. I again went to visit him after one week. He checked my bite and found out my tooth was mobile. So he made some adjustments in crown, reduced the load and told me to give it time and avoid biting from that side. I did as he said and i was feeling better. There was no pain after some days only slight pain at evening but i still feel sensitivity/ pain due to hot food and drinks. I again went for a checkup and in this visit dentist told me my tooth is not much mobile now and its healing . But since last 2 days i am feeling continuous pain in my tooth. Its been almost 4 weeks since i got permanent crown.
Get a second opinion. Could be nothing but the bite being too high at first on the new crown.
Hi. Great blog, and it’s fantastic to see that you are so active and helpful. My situation is as follows: Had a root canal done on a molar about 6 months ago. Had no issues whatsoever. Took me a bit of time to get back in to see my regular dentist, but the started working on the crown. Did the temporary crown and had no issues. Went back approximately 1-2 weeks and had the permanent crown fitted. There was no pain for about 2 weeks. After about 2 weeks, I started to have dull pain around that tooth that is persistent and focused to that area. I will see my dentist again in about a month, but wonder what might be going on and is this a watch and wait scenario or it’s likely there is something serious that needs to be addressed. Pain isn’t disrupting sleep or activities, but I can certainly feel it. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Probably needs bite adjustment. Pretty common issue. Go back and see.
This is a great blog and I would like to thank you in advance for your input. I had two silver fillings removed and RCT completed on a premolar on my upper left and a molar on my lower right. Crown prep was uncomfortable but not too bad. Fast forward two weeks (2 days ago) and now my perm crowns have been put in. My bottom right molar felt extremely tight and too big immediately. The dentist shaved it down but I have throbbing pain. I cannot chew on that side and the pain woke me up at night. I’m on a cocktail of NSAIDS but relief is short lived. The pain is intense. While he shaved the height of the crown he did nothing to address the tightness. I also feel that it was not placed properly as I can feel the ridge of the crown with my tongue and it does not lie flat with my gums. It is raised. I know the pain should be getting better and it is not. I’m concerned that the crown was off in dimensions and the pain will not subside until a new crown with appropriate dimensions are put in. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.
Have them check bite again.
Hello. I had a crown replacement last Friday. I was sore the first day and then all was ok the following day but then the day after or so, started having pain. It feels like radiating nerve pain. I have been taking ibuprofen and it helps to cause the symptoms to subside, but then it flares up again after that wears off after several hrs. It’s been 8 days since the crown replacement (temporary crown as I get the new crown permanent in mid-January). Do you think I’ll ultimately require a root canal or is normal to be experiencing pain and radiation that doesn’t seem to be improving in this time frame?
Check the bite. Teeth needing a second crown are very high risk for root canal. That is a lot to ask of a tooth.
Hi Sir. How are you? Got a crown on back left lower molar in Oct. It has hurt since the temporary, in the same place. Am sensitive to cold but pain goes away quickly when cold is removed so I think that’s a good sign. (Reversible pulpitis?) I feel like it gets really sore sometime after I eat tho. Throbbing. (Irreversible pulpitis?) Feels like the gum is very sore and can feel the edge of the crown with my fingernail. I can pinpoint the area on the gum. My x-rays look fine and no inflammation is seen.
Doesn’t feel loose. Have had it adjusted twice. Last time was yesterday. If isn’t better in a week I am suppose to go back. Just wondering what it might be. Symptoms very confusing. Thank you for your time.
I would lean heavily towards irreversible. If someone came to me months after with issue then I would be doing a root canal.
Hi. This is a great blog. I had a RCT recently (upper third molar) and had a dental crown fixed next day morning i found these brown lines on the lower side as in the side used for chewing of the crown and the tooth pains .The pain has been for 2 days as of now.
Thank you for your reply. I did neglect to say that the 2 bite adjustments did help, it just didn’t completely go away. Since last post on 11th. I have been using warm salt water mouth washes 2-3 times a day and it has made the pain go completely away after several minutes. I only have pain once a day and it’s milder. Is it getting better maybe or Is my root dying? (ugh!) And actually I had my crown placed in Nov., not Oct. But I’m aware that’s still a couple of months.
Hi! I had permanent crowns placed on teeth 17 and 18 around Dec 18. Between then and Jan 2 I took Advil or Tylenol off and on (approx half the day). On Jan 2 it got considerably worse and I started taking Advil 200mg each every 6 hours so 4x a day. My dentist returned to work Jan 6 and he did a bite check filing it down some. I continued taking Advil 200mg each 4x a day. Pain didn’t go down so he did another bite check Jan 13 and filed down some more. Since then (3 days) I’m still taking Advil 200mg each 4x a day but the past 2 nights I’ve woken up to excruciating pain and will take 500mg Tylenol at the 3rd hour (Between advil dosage). Do you think it’s getting worse and I need a root canal or should I give it at least a week from the last bite adjustment? Should I get a 2nd opinion? I have invisalign retainers but haven’t worn the bottom one because it doesn’t fit around the crowns. I also grind my teeth at night. Thank you!
Get another opinion. You have a lot going on with the retainers and the grinding.
Hi
1. My front right teeth was half broken (vertically) when i was around 10 (I’m 30 now), it hurts me sometimes but not giving severe pain
2. Recently One night i had severe pain on my broken teeth and on next day my lower gums and teeth (front ones) hurts so bad at night time
Its kind of throbbing pain…i feel blood circulation too fast and it hurt so bad
My lower teeth became too sensitive
Mostly it hurts at night time while i was laying on my bed
I went to dentist
She said i had gum disease because i got calculus on lower tooth with swollen gums
And she did root canal on my broken tooth and i got ceramic crown
And yesterday i got scaling too
Why my lower gums hurts at night?
As she said my
Hello Sir,
I am from India, I have had Root canal treatment before 10 days, and the crown has been placed by my dentist after 5 days of root canal filling. When he placed ceramic metal base crown, the intense and tremendous unbearable pain has started and since last 6 days I am unable to sleep properly, I have visited dentist, he done trimming of crown to adjust the bite, still there is unbearable sharp pain in my root canal crown. I can’t even chew food, I have become so weak due to pain, I am taking 8 pain killers a day to reduce the pain…so my dentist suggested me to remove the crown and he will put it back after winter ( as winter is going on in india) say in summer season. Me and family members also agreed with dentist…I am an Indian YouTuber with 100,000 Subscribers, due to this pain I am not even able to speak properly, this pain is affecting my career and personal life…Shall I remove the crown until winter finishes?
Do whatever is needed to get rid of the pain! I’m sorry to hear of your suffering and hope you can find quick relief!
Hi, I’m wondering what I have going on and hoping for a little input please. I had a cerec inlay fitted to the back bottom molar about 3 days ago. All went well from what I could tell. I’m now getting a lot of pain in my top 2 teeth above it. They had to take a scan of these 2 and sprayed them with something in order to do this. When I push or tap on the tooth with the inlay there is no pain, the gum doesn’t look red etc, it isn’t sensitive to hot/cold. After reading all about infections under crowns etc though I’m wondering if the pain up top could be referred from the lower tooth, even though it isn’t painful in itself, or if they are probably not linked and the pain is from something else going on with the upper two teeth. Maybe irritated by fiddling with them when doing the scan prep stuff (I’m not entirely sure what this involved).?!
If the pain were coming from the tooth with the inlay I would have thought it would be painful in some way? I’m hoping to see a dentist tomorrow but just wondering how I can figure out where the pain is actually coming from!? Help please! 🙂
Most pain like what you describe is from the bite being off a small amount. A dentist will almost certainly check and adjust that first. It can make the opposing teeth sore as well.
Hi,
All your comments have been so helpful! I was wondering if you could offer me some advice? I had a permanent crown put on one of my upper back molars a week ago that had too many fillings but no root canal mention was made yet. Since then I’ve had a dull ache high in my gums (feels sore to the touch at the edge of where my gums end and the bone begins). I wasn’t sure if this was from the novocaine injection or just nerves associated with the tooth that was worked on? I also have some soreness on the bottom of my mouth and was wondering if it’s possible to experience reciprocal pain elsewhere? Finally, when I look behind my tooth it looks like some of my gum is missing/was carved away where the new crown is. I don’t remember experiencing that when I had another crown placed so was wondering if that’s normal for a crown procedure to remove gum? Thank you so much!
Sometimes we do not put the crown edge all the down to the gumline so that may be what you are seeing. Sometimes we do cut some gum away to do a crown and sometimes the gums recede a little form the trauma of the procedure. A week is long enough for any injection site soreness to be gone. prob time to go back and have dentist take a look.
Hi I just had a crown placed on Friday. It’s been a couple days. And as soon as the numbing wore off i get a little pain when I bite down on certain spot.. is that normal will it go away after awhile or I should I call my dentist back and have it
Adjusted
If it is still trouble go back.
This is hilarious — I just read about 50 of the question/responses and almost every time, your answer is “get a root canal”. So here I am to save the next person some trouble: Hey! Get a root canal. Still hurts? Sorry to hear it! Probably not the root canal.
fin
I had a crown placed on my top left, back molar 5 days ago and it hurts! The crown is leaning, like pointed towards the inside of my mouth and catches my tongue. Is it possible for it to not be sealed all the way around? It hurts way worse when I eat something sweet, like gnawing pain that I feel in every tooth all the way to my left front tooth. I’m trying so let it heal. This tooth had a bad cavity and also had migrated downward due to not having a bottom tooth there, so i feel like they drilled this tooth down more than normal. Thank you.
What a great and helpful blog! I thank you for helping so many!
I have a quick question that should be fairly easy to answer. I had a root canal on a molar a year and a half ago. It was the 2 appointment type procedure. I started feeling a bit of pain and sensitivity while waiting for my second appointment and my dentist said it was due to one of the roots that was quite elongated and had a bit of live root in it. It wouldn’t numb but I endured the pain. Fast forward to a few weeks back. My new dentist suggested a crown and it seemed the best course of action now that I’m insured. I had NO pain beforehand. I went to the temp crown appointment and I had a good deal of pain afterward. It was less than a days worth but Excedrin helped a lot. Last Thursday I swallowed the temp. Naturally the dentist has been closed since and I’ll definitely call asap tomorrow. I’m hoping My permanent is in by now since its been 3 weeks. My question is, will I have pain after the procedure like before? Unfortunately, I’ve been diagnosed with a kidney issue that may be renal failure; therefore, NSAIDs are a huge no-no! We’ve learned Tylenol doesn’t help for any dental pain whatsoever. Should I ask for something a bit stronger? Tylenol 3, maybe? Or am I out of the “painful” woods at this point? Thank you so much!
You shouldn’t feel anything without the temp since the tooth had a root canal. They will only be sensitive if the tooth does not have a root canal. If it hurts after a root canal, then something is either wrong with the bite or with the root canal itself.
Hello Bryan,
I was hoping you can give me some feedback. I recently got a root canal done on my front tooth because I was getting pain above my gums towards my right Cuspid and would get abscess above my lateral incisor. I thought the dentist would do a root canal on one of those teeth, instead he did a root canal on my front right tooth he said tooth looked like it was dying already because it was turning grey. Of course it shocked me because it’s my front tooth and hope crown lasts a long time., how long can a permanent crown last and are they easy to fall or brake off? But The pain got much better, abscess went away, but still feel some pain above the gums close to my nose. When I apply pressure I feel some pain still on my Cuspid tooth, he said let’s wait and see if infection goes away if not I would need another root canal on my first molar which he also crowned. My questions are was this process done correctly? Why did he access the root canal through my front teeth is it easier that way? And if pain persists does that mean first root canal wasn’t done properly? My first molar is still feeling sensitivity to permanent crown he said if pain doesn’t gradually go away he will have to do root canal. I would highly appreciate any feedback, and great blog.
Hi, thank you for the tremendous help you are providing. I broke my front tooth recently. My dentist did a root canal and placed a crown on it. It’s been a month but still tender to touch. I have a deep bite and am wearing a nightguard. It hurts quite a bit when i take the guard out in the morning. My dentist says give it sometime to heal but i don’t see the pain getting better. I also feel like the crown is moving side to side when i chew something hard on the sides (not directly on the front tooth). Would appreciate your feedback.
May be time for the root canal then.
Hi Bryan, i broke my front tooth, my dentist did a root canal and added a crown on it. It’s been tender to the touch ever since. I also feel like it shifts side to side when i eat something hard on the sides of my mouth. I’ve got a deep bit and wear a nightguard to prevent the bottom teeth from touching the crown. It still hirts when i take the guard out every morning. Appreciate if you could give some feedback
Hi Bryan, the dentist already did the root canal before placing the crown.
That gets tricky then. There are many issues that can be coming from the root canal itself. I would recommend following up with dentist and if that doesn’t help ask for a referral. Pain after a root canal is not uncommon but should slowly get better or you need to have someone look at it. Here are the main issues.
Hey Bryan I had a large filling in tooth number 3….at my 6 month apt my usual dentist found a cavity growing and said I would need a crown she was booked and while I was waiting get an apt my tooth started hurting so I found someone that can se me sooner he prepped it And while waiting for the permanent crown my tooth was really sensitive which they said was fine….when I went for the permeant the crown was not the right size and the dental assistant noticed the prep was off so the dentist repreped the tooth…..then there was this long period back and the crown was off in margins or size….on the last one they said they didn’t see anything wrong with it and wanted to cement but I decided to get another opinion first because my mouth still slightly aches and it is sensitive to hot and cold…new dentist said margins are off and my root is exposed causing me pain and didn’t recommended the tooth be redone…….it’s now been about 4 months and while I sit with this tooth on the tooth dosent hurt so much to where I need any pain meds but it is sensitive to hot, cold, anything acidic and I noticed if I even touch the bottom or side of the crown it is sensitive to the slight coldness of my fingers. Is this an issue with not having a permeant crown yet or do I need a root canal?
Sounds like you need a third opinion in person with someone.
Sorry the second opinion said margins were off and recommended the crown needing the be re-done because the tooth near my gum line is exposed and it needs to go up against my gum line.
I also asked both if I needed a root canal and they both said no sensitivity before permanent placement is fine? But if the crown is sensitive to the touch of my fingers I am a little worried if that is normal
My tooth was hurting #14 and the dentist did an xray and said I probably have a crack (although when asked, he said he didn’t see a crack but said small ones don’t show up on xrays). I went ahead a got a crown on the tooth (horrible experience because the drill slipped and he drilled into the inside of my lip). Two week later the tooth hurts worse and they sent me to have a root canal. The root canal doctor said that the roots could be inflamed due to the crown procedure and gave me a steroid pack. I am done with the steroid pack and my pain is better but still a slight throbbing after 2 weeks. Should I continue to see if it improves or in your opinion should I get the root canal. Of course I’m a wreck after the drill incident so I have been trying to wait it out.