Stupid Tooth Problems

[pixiecrinkle]

So, I'd been expecting lots of headaches as of late. I went cold turkey off of Nutra-Sweet two Fridays ago, which meant giving up my main delivery system for caffeine (Diet Pepsi) as well.

So far, so good on that front. I've been drinking more tea to try to head off the caffeine withdrawal, and so far it's worked.

However, in the meantime, the filling that I got done a couple of months back, that has been sensitive ever since, has just ratcheted up the sensitivity level about four or five notches. I actually had problems going to sleep the past few nights. Not good. My dentist checked it a while ago and just re adjusted the bite plane I wear at night, and that made it ok for a while. But now, if I eat anything, at any temperature other than body temp, my tooth bugs me. I don't even have to be eating--if a cold breeze blows my direction while I'm talking, there it goes too. Grrrr...

So this morning, I woke up with a royal headache. I think it's a combo of caffeine withdrawal, rebound from taking painkillers for the stinkin' tooth, not wearing my bite plane because it hurt worse to have it in last night, so I locked my jaw and ground, and just general pain from the tooth.

Yuck. I have an appointment tomorrow. If my dentist doesn't do something about this this time, it's off to a new dentist for me. This is *not* normal, I don't care what he says.

I fear, ultimately, that I cracked the tooth after the filling was done. It's one of those tooth colored ceramic fillings that has absolutely zero "give" to it, and I distinctly remember on two occasions biting down and scraping it on the tooth below (which is also now hurting, I think via osmosis).

Someone told me this morning that my body isn't allowed to fall apart until I'm thirty. Guess I'm a few months ahead of schedule.

Comments

[datagoddess.livejournal.com]

Speaking as someone who has cracked more than her share of teeth, I think you're right. It's either cracked, or there's something going on that's going to require a root canal. I hope your dentist figures it out!

Do you have a guard that covers all of your teeth, either upper or lower, or a splint that goes over a few front ones? I've had both types, and the splint is fabulous, IMO.

[pixiecrinkle.livejournal.com]

It's a guard that covers all the uppers. I like it for the most part, but I seem to be such an agressive grinder that it needs adjustment every couple of months.

Does the splint keep you from grinding the back teeth? Because I'm definitely grinding on those. The grooves I'm wearing in this guard are crazy!

What do they do for cracked teeth? I already fear the root canal, because I can feel pain going up into my jaw, but what are the other options? Caps? Re-filling?

[datagoddess.livejournal.com]

My old guard covered the bottom teeth, and I was chewing through at least one every 9 -12 months. I have an NTI Splint (http://www.nti-tss.com/), which fits over my front uppers, but it has a little bar on it that keeps my teeth from meeting. The only reason I had to replace mine was I lost my first version, because after a few years it got loose, and I couldn't find it one morning :-)

Usually I end up with a crown on my cracked teeth, but the two that ended up being painful I ended up with root canals, at least before I cracked them more after the root canal and had to have them removed. My dentist calls me bionic bite.

[masterbetty.livejournal.com]

I have this completely irrational fear that I'm going to die sometime during this decade. Don't know why, but I'm certain this is going to be a difficult time for me health and bodywise. However, I'm convinced that if I make it to 40 I'll be fine.