Expert: Susan Tannenbam - 11/25/2008

Question
Hi,
I have had a typical facial pain for 6 years now.
sometimes it feels like dull aching at the sinus area, sometimes the lower gum. Sometimes it feels tigly, or numb. Sometimes feels like tooth ache.
I have a tens machine, I take ibruprofen. I know i need to do more stretching excersise and relaxation. I am always tense and worrying about things
I have just had a root canal filling and am waiting for a crown to be fit, but now I don't know if I have toothache in the tooth or its the facial thing.
I keep thinking of having the tooth out and also a bottom molar, which has a crack in it , but the dentist never seems worried about that - the pain seems to radiate from these teeth
I am scared to have them out , incase I'm wrong.
I have had CT scans, MRI scans, x rays, medication -

Am scared to go back to dentist incase he pulls the tooth and it's not that

HELP

Answer
Jacqueline,
The pain from the tight muscles, from clenching (TMJ), can travel into the teeth and gums, and also other areas.  It can feel like you have a bad toothache, and a lot of dentists don't realize that the pain is not from the tooth, but from those painful muscles that, as I said, are radiating the pain into the teeth.  It can feel like you have a really bad toothache.  Many people get unnecessary root canals and extractions because of this situation.  This happened to me.  I got so many root canals that were not necessary.  What happened , is the dentist could not find anything wrong on the X rays, and the pain continued, so the teeth were extracted and/or had the root canal.  When I get a pain now, in a tooth, I just ignore it and it goes away.  It's important to relax and not go into a panic mode.  Of course, I cannot diagnose your tooth pain - only a dentist could do that.

Hope this helps.
Susan