For the last 23 years, every time I have a cavity filled or root canal, I have major pain on the whole side of my face afterwards. It lasts from a day to 10 months. I've discussed this with several dentists over the years and they all have no solutions. I had one dentist make me a mouth gear. I've done jaw exercises, moist heat etc. I'm pretty sure I'm reacting to the novacaine as I'm allergic to most every medication. I also think the work done on my teeth and keeping my mouth open also bothers me. The problem is, I'm in a lot of pain right now after having a cavity filled 10 days ago. It's the whole side of my face including a headache. Tylenol takes away the pain but I'm taking it everyday. It's the only thing I'm not allergic to (besides Percocet and Morphine). The dentists have no answers so I thought I'd see if someone here might have any suggestions. It usually subsides eventually but what do I do in the mean time besides taking Tylenol? Thanks so much for your time. Have a blessed day!!
Try going to a chiropractor or DO that knows how to manipulate your jaw.
Have you considered acupuncture? The purpose of acupuncture is to reduce nerve inflammation. I am not a doctor, but I believe nerve inflammation due to your dental work is causing the pain you're having, right? A lot of MDs these days do acupuncture, and sometimes it's even covered by insurance as a method of pain management. It's worth a try...
I have had this happen to me too, most recently with a root canal that took over 2 hours to complete. I was in a lot of pain for over a year. I finally went to a TMJ specialist and he discovered that one of my discs in the jaw joint was out of place. He fixed it that day and about 3 days later I noticed significant improvement. I can't believe my dentist didn't recommend it earlier because its well known in the dentistry world that having your mouth open for that long can irritate the joints and even pull the discs out of place. I've moved on to a different dentist......
If the whole side of your face is hurting 10 days later, the cause might be the tooth nerve. Unfortunately, this happened to me and I landed a root canal. No more nerve, no more pain.
