I went to the dentist three weeks ago to be prepped for a crown. My dentist had a hard time getting me numb and even after 5 shots I could still feel some things. Not a pleasant experience. I have had pain ever since she worked on me. Throbbing pain that goes from my lower jaw and sometimes into my temple area. Hot and cold sensitivity and I can't bite down on that tooth while eating. I feel like it is the tooth but after reading everything I have read I would hate to go through an uneeded root canal. I have found that Advil helps and I have been taking it faithfully. How do you tell the difference between tn pain and a bad tooth?
TN pain is rarely helped by off-the-shelf analgesics such as Advil. If pain is isolated to just one tooth, that's another indicator for dental issues rather than neurological. It's not perfect, but it's an indicator.
Your dentist should be saavy enough to know that dental procedures like root canal are not recommended without confirming evidence from panoramic X-rays that there is an abscess. Cracked tooth syndrome may be harder to diagnose unambiguously. In both cases, you can ask whether the dental office is equipped with the latest in high resolution imaging. If they aren't and no abscess is seen on the equipment they have, then ask for referral to a better equipped practice.
Regards and best,
Red