Why do my adjacent teeth hurt so badly after permanent crown?

Question

I got a permanent crown placed last Thursday on my #4 molar, and a root canal on my #31 molar two days ago (Wednesday). In both cases, the teeth next to the operated-on teeth hurt pretty badly. Is this normal?

Kourosh Maddahi, DDS · Answer

Hi:Sometimes there is pain and trauma in the area of where dental work was done.  This should not last more than a week.  Pleases contact your dentist if the pain continues after a week.Best,Dr. Maddahi

Joseph H. Hidalgo, DDS · Answer

I am sorry you are having problems. There is not enough information to determine a cause for your tooth soreness.
It could be anesthetic depending on how the area is knumbed.
It could be the bite if the adjacent teeth are hitting harder than the treated teeth.
I would suggest you see your dentist and make it know of your sensitivity.
Good luck!

Ryan C Woodman, DMD · Answer

Both situations are probably normal and you will just need some time (and maybe some advil or tylenol). Your teeth are held in by ligaments that act as "shock absorbers" when you bite. When we put a new crown in, we look to have really tight contacts between the teeth when we try it in. If they start out light, once the crown settles in, there will sometimes be gaps which will trap food and be really annoying! When they start out tight, once the crown settles, the contacts will be "normal". These tight contacts actually put some pressure on the adjacent teeth - only a fraction of a millimeter but enough to notice at first. Some people get sore but it will go away. If it is still sore after a couple weeks, ask your dentist to do a simple bite check.
The second situation is likely referred pain. All of the nerves bundle together in what is called a ganglion before going to your brain. Like a big ball of electric wires all jumbled up. Because of this, your brain sometimes misinterprets any misfires as coming from other places. This is why it is hard sometimes to even figure out which tooth may be hurting when you have a toothache. I have seen so many patients that swear their pain is coming from a top tooth and when we test it is on the bottom! It is a perfectly normal phenomenon.
Give it some time - we don't often think of going to the dentist as getting "surgery" but if you think about it, you really just had micro-surgery on these two areas and your body will need a period to heal.

Why do my adjacent teeth hurt so badly after permanent crown?

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Why do my adjacent teeth hurt so badly after permanent crown?

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