I had a crown placed a few years ago. At that time, my dentist told me that he didn't think he needed to do a root canal at that time, but it was very possible that he might have to remove the crown in the future and perform one.

The tooth that has the crown has been sensitive to temperature on and off for some time and it seems to have been more frequent lately. This morning I was awakend to a toothache that would not stop until I took Advil. Does the need for a root canal usually give you that temperature sensitivity? I'm wondering if it's that or perhaps I've been grinding my teeth and night and putting stress on the crown that is creating some nerve exposure. Naturally, I will get with my dentist first thing next week since his office is closed today and it's not an emergency. I need to have him take a look and decide if it's likely something that might really get bad while I'm out town on vacation. But, I wanted to know your experiences to have an idea what to expect. Does this sound like there has been further decay underneath that crown and/or into the root or my other notion of nerve sensitivity due to a problem with the crown placement or seal...something....

I had a similar experience, where I thought I was just putting too much pressure on the tooth somehow. It was vaguely sore, and my bite was off, that tooth seemed high. It was high, because it was swollen underneath. It was an abcess and I had to have surgery. You can get through it for awhile longer if he gives you good antibiotics and you take an analgesic to keep the swelling down, but it could blow up on you, too. It's possible the crown has cracked but I doubt it.

I hope I'm wrong.

An xray should show right away what the problem is, at least.

Thanks. It's ok if I need the root canal so long as he can do it next week before I fly out. The expenditure I'm not to wild about, but I'm more concerned with being able to get the procedure done before I fly out, should I need it.

Me thinks you need to get your behind to the dentist next week. From my experience, it doesn't sound good. Sorry for the negativity, but toothaches are usually trying to tell you something is up.

Sharil, another vote for getting to the dentist. Doesn't sound good.....

And altodiva, who can withstand virtually any pain except tooth pain, shudders silently.....

Vaya con Dios, my friend. I've had 4 root canals. Blah.

I've lost count of how many root canals I have had, but they're pain free with the needles.

I am in the 5 percent of people who cannot wear dentures because of the shape of my mouth, so my teeth (genetically brittle) have had to be slowly built up.

The nerve in your tooth may be dying - that is not as dramatic as it sounds, but it can cause all sorts of side affects. Everyone's already given you sound advice. Please get thee to that dentist.

Oh, and find a good dentist, and hang onto him/her for life.

Get to the dentist.

I have three crowns and never had the roots removed, two are over 12 years old and never had problems.

But I did have a tooth where the nerve went and it was hell, I still remember the pain and that was way back in 1985!!!!! Infact that was the last tooth I ever had out and boy was I glad when the dentist pulled it.

Yes, temperature sensitivity and aching like that is often indicative of the root being infected/sick. I nursed mine along for about two years before I finally found myself taking Advil all the time and just got it overwith.

In my case, I had a cracked tooth. The dentist sawed it down and put on a temporary crown, to see if that would do the trick. I eventually had to have the root canal, though.

Thanks everyone. It's been better since I posted - thanks to a little wonder drug called Alleve. Love that stuff.

I will definitely call the dentist first thing Monday morning. Have finals next week too so it should be a fun one. Ugh.

A test that they do at the dentist to see if it is in need of a root canal is to hold a piece of iceon top of the tooth. If it kills to have that done, then it is most likely in need of a root canal. If it does't kill, then it is most likely an exposed nerve at the gum line. I've had many root canals and each time I did this test myself at home. Hope you feel better.

Very interesting, Rita. This works even if it's a crown rather than a real tooth in that location?

Try it and then you can report your findings to the dentist. Do your gums bleed and or are sore when you floss ? Do you feel a sensitivity around the gumline ? Does the tooth hurt all the time or only when you eat or drink something cold ? How about hot drink ? ( I couldn't even gargle on that side with mouth wash ) These are all questions they will ask you, so test them out now. Do you have pain only at the tooth or is it radiating in the jaw or face ?

Just did the ice cube test. It started to ache after I'd had the cube pressed firmly to the chewing surface of the tooth for over 10 seconds. I didn't find this too stunning, because that tooth has always been a little sensitive to temperature since I had the crown placed. Meaning, it doesn't kill me to drink cold stuff, but I would never bite into ice cream with that area of my teeth, either...kind of a low-grade sensitivity that I never thought was a big deal - just figured that caps are not teeth and hence not seated quite as well as a real tooth would be, if that makes any sense.

Sometimes it will become irritated for seemingly no reason...no recent hot or cold beverages...so I was sort of equating it to something with chewing on that side. Hot drinks I am not careful with and they don't seem to make any difference. I don't generally drink cold stuff - like my water kind of tepid. The gumline is a little sensitive and I noticed that this started to really bother me after I got serious about flossing thoroughly recently. So it's just hard to say, isn't it?

Well, in any case I'll get it diagnosed early in the week. Thanks for this info!

So it just may be an exposed nerve where the gum may be receding. Continuing to floss every night will help the gum to become less sensitive. Try rubbing it twice a day with Sensitive tooth paste. ( Use tooth paste for sensitive teeth to brush with, by the way ) This happened to me and I did not need a root canal on that tooth. Remember my Water Pic trials ? It also helped a great deal. But the most important thing is the flossing and the sensitive tooth paste. If that works, then it isn't a root canal issue.

Thanks again, Rita. I'll have the dentist take a look only because I am totally freaked out about the possibility of it being a problem that could get much worse very quickly. I'm going to Vegas for a few days with my best girlfriend next Saturday, but then my BF is flying in and we're going camping and climbing down in Joshua Tree National Park. I don't want the trip spoiled and I sure as h*ll don't want to be stuck in the Mojave Desert right before Christmas with an abscessed tooth or something - could you imagine? Yikes!

I hear ya ! Been there, done that ! Do these things in the meantime, so he can get a handle on what is wrong.

I've had this before, and it was caused by my teeth clenching problem - biting down hard irritates the root and causes temporary sensitivity. Hope everything turns out okay for you today with the dentist!

My $0.02... I had the same thing a few years back, the dentist was worried I'd need a root canal but opted to not do it, but holler if I had pain. Well, crusty bread does a number on me, and when I bite hard on it, it flares up for a week or so, then dies back down. All my teeth are hot/cold sensitive, so that is unreliable.

But, big changes in temperature... hoo boy. Those are tough on me for a day or three, then I'm back in decent form and I'm good for a few more months. Jogging is the worse, since I can feel each up-and-down from each footfall, but afterwards it's quickly forgotten. Now that I think of it I went through that last weekend when the temps dropped quickly. Could be your case as well. Every 4-6 months, a bit of discomfort / agony, and then it's all over.

BTW, it's been years for me, and subsequent x-rays have shown the cap to be intact. So I've left it alone. Good luck with yours!

Yeah, my discomfort has been patchy up until now and so I do find it odd. However, the consistent ache on Friday morning paired with leaving town soon make me want to at least have an x-ray to see if anything shows.

Sharil.

I have no idea regarding this but I sure do hope you feel better! When your teeth or your feet hurt you are just not a happy camper. Teeth are the worst. Hard to concentrate on anything else.

Thanks, Glo. I have an appt bright and early at 7am tomorrow. I'll feel a whole lot better just having it properly diagnosed, I think. Anxiety tends to amplify pain, I find.

Thanks everyone, in fact, for the advice and sympathy.

Good luck tomorrow.

I had a lower back molar that had a porcelain crown and my dentist had first done a partial root canal only filing out the roots that were decayed.
It was fine for a long time.
Then it began to bother and flared up into a full abscess. It was the most painful thing I've ever experienced.

Another dentist (I lived in another city by then) went through the crown and did a total root canal.
It was fine for a couple of years. Then the tooth bothered again and about three years ago I ended up having an extraction.

The chances of another root canal surgery on the same tooth being successful was very slim.
I will need an implant to replace the tooth but the on and off pain is over once and for all.
It's sort of an amputation to lose a major tooth and I wish it had not failed but getting rid of the pain was my driving motivation.

I hope you have good luck with your tooth!

Karen

Root canal this morning, folks. The procedure was no big deal, but it's starting to ache like a mother now - which she warned me about. I didn't have infection, but she told me that root canal issues are notoriously inconsistent but are known to take quick turns for the worse. So I did the right thing by going in and shelling out, as my wise POL counsel advised.

Glad you got it over with. Good for you.

I'm not surprised this is where you ended up, but I didn't want to add to the chorus last night after you had already made up your mind to go to the dentist. The discomfort you're having now is just from swelling around the root canal site, and should go away soon.

Good work.

I have the cold sensitivity and tooth pain when I have a sinus infection. Sometimes I feel pain with every step or bite and then I know it is time to get a good antibiotic. I wish you well with your recovery.

I'm scheduled to see my dentist tomorrow morning for a root canal as well. It flared up into a dull ache Monday, a steady ache on Tuesday. Wednesday it felt like someone was hitting me with an iron bar in the jaw. Today, some flare-ups, but not so bad. Tomorrow - the drill.

You'll be glad to have it done. I didn't realize how much I was working around it. Much nicer to just drink and eat normally without even giving it a thought.

Thank you.

What makes things a bit tough is that we're starting inventory tomorrow and working through the weekend. No rest on Saturday or Sunday, Monday back to normal work. We do this every year, but this was not good timing. Oh, and there's that half-marathon thing in two weeks, with my last long run probably happening Monday. Enough complaining. The road goes on forever and the party never ends :)

Good luck tomorrow, Thom.
You can do it !

Thank you.

Well, I've been up an hour now, but the good news is that I have a plan for all this. I'm set to run this morning, some decent mileage, and if I can avoid falling asleep on the drive into town, I should be fine in the chair. I'm at the point where I'd like to have this over with.

Vaya con Dios, Tom. When I had my first root canal, I nicknamed the endodontist "Dr. Mengele."

*shudder*

Well, it's been rescheduled...First, it's infected so I'm now on antibiotics, and second, there's something tricky about it that's making my dentist blanch. He told me two visits to get it done, and I nearly fainted at the idea.

So I'm scheduled with a specialist in early January, the good news is that it's one visit, early in the morning, and we're done and I'll be fine by the half-marathon.

Oh - but I think this is a good thing, in a way. The antibiotics will take care of the pain pretty quickly and you can still do your marathon.

Funny thing, that. I'm scheduling the way I deal with one pain in order in inflict more pain on myself more efficiently.

Finally the drama is over. It is done, and I am - at the moment - numb from one ear to the other side of my chin.

Congratulations!

Second the congratulations.

Well, guess what? Now it's my turn. I started up a horrendous ache around Dec. 28th and today at 2 pm, long story and a penicillin prescription later, I'm having a tooth extracted. It's had a filling, a crown, a root canal that weakened the crown so the crown cracked, therefore an abscess, and if I didn't know I was getting rid of it today, I would be ready to grab a pair of pliars and pull it out of my own head. So wish me luck! I hope to be able to return to work after.

Oh, Snookums, I'm sorry you're in pain. You need some of the overproof rum, babe.

Yeah I do! Pass it over here!

Ugh. Sorry to hear that. All be over soon, babydoll.

A heaping helping of good luck to you!

Bummer. May it pass quickly. And not be too expensive. That's the most lasting painful part. Teeth! Who needs 'em!

That tooth did not go gently into that good night but he finally got it out and I'm at home eating humus and taking hydrocodone -- woo-hoo, this is the life. Cross your fingers it heals ok! I go back in a week to get the stitches out.

Hummus. Yum. Hydrocodones, too - sounds like the makings for a decent party;) Glad you're done with that.


(don't eat humus - it's rich in minerals but tastes horrible) Gotta tease ya - you'd never misspell except on pain pills. tee hee hee

Yah, humis is teh ick.

Good luck FTR!

HOOT!
Gotta go write that one correctly fifty times so I never misspell it again. I had no idea...