Should I be in this much pain after a bridge placed?

I am 30 years old, no health problems. I have had several fillings throughout the last several years d/t not taking care of my teeth as a kid. I also had invisalign for 2 year which I finished last year. I wear a retainer at night. I have a high pain tolerance when it comes to dental issues because of all I have had done. I had a bridge placed 1 week ago. Tooth number 11 was missing because it never came in as a child (I had it removed 2 years ago). Tooth number 12 was used to anchor the bridge. Since the bridge was placed, I have had pain on the whole side of my mouth where the bridge was placed. I've had pain in my head, my ear and my throat also. The pain comes and goes, but it's there more than it's not. My teeth hurt on that side, but not to touch. The tooth used to anchor the bridge is very sensitive to cold and the pain does linger for several minutes after exposed to cold.

My dentist referred me to an endodontist for a root canal. I saw the endodontist yesterday and he isn't convinced my tooth needs a root canal. He said that with all the pain I'm having in my mouth, the tooth should hurt when he taps on it. I have no pain when he taps on it. The xray showed no infection. He said he wanted to wait. I'm still in a lot of pain. I was convinced that I needed a root canal because of the lingering pain after the tooth was exposed to cold. Can anything else cause the problems I'm experiencing? It did take 3 different visits to get the bridge in because it had to be sent back to the lab in order for it to fit. At first I thought my tooth was in pain because of all of the work in the time frame of 4 weeks, but the pain is not subsiding and at times, feels worse than it did before. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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Answer: Pain After Bridge is Placed

By BracesInfo.com Expert 10

Since you have experienced issues with the bridge from the time the permanent bridge was placed, but not prior to, I would have the dentist take x-rays to confirm the inter proximal margins (areas in between the teeth where the bridge meets the tooth). This would ensure that the tooth is completely sealed and not exposed to the oral environment or more specifically to cold food and liquids. Sometimes diagnosing for an abscess with a radiograph is difficult because it takes time for it too show up on the film, so many times your are diagnosed off the symptoms experienced. It may also be a good idea to have your bite checked to be sure you are not in hyper occlusion. This would cause increased sensitivity and pain. Taking ibuprofen can help decrease any inflammation surrounding the tooth and help you get through the next few weeks. Sounds like the endodontist is honest and doesn't want to perform unnecessary treatment, but would rather give your tooth time to respond and heal itself if possible. The upper left teeth are also very close to your sinuses so you may check with your family physician to be sure your not having any swelling or irritation of the sinuses that could be putting pressure on the roots of your upper left quadrant of teeth.

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