Tooth sensitivity gone=problem gone? Or still might have issues?

[38carrots]

After several really awful dental experiences (wrong tooth pulled, root canal done on a healthy tooth) and their inability to diagnose my tooth sensitivity, I developed some moderate paranoia about dentists.

 

I've had a sensitive tooth for about 7 years, on and off. The first dentist told me there was nothing there, and to just ignore it.

The second dentist said there was nothing there.

The second dentist told me I needed a root canal. The issue remained, and he said, "Ooops, I thought it might help."

 

I started wearing a night guard, and it helped significantly with the sensitivity. Then the sensitivity started coming back. Unpleasant, mild, dull pain, mostly at night. Recently it got worse. When I floss, I think I feel the cavity at the bottom of the tooth, but I'm not sure and I won't look.

 

For the last 3 weeks I have been oil pullling with coconut oil. Every morning, and many times during the day--because it felt good for the tooth. I noticed improvements within the first couple of days, and now the sensitivity is gone completely.

 

Does this mean that I've somehow healed the cavity? Does this mean that the tooth is doing better? Or is it possible to still have the problem but not feel any discomfort?

 

Thanks! And yes, I'll go and see a dentist eventually. I'm just a bit too traumatized by several utterly incompetent dentists and feel frustrated that I can't find one I could trust. My other teeth and gums are healthy.

 

 

[redsquirrel]

You can't heal an actual cavity.  But, FWIW, I have a tooth that has been sensitive for years.  I have a good dentist, and after a LOT of looking (but no work, because he is super conservative) he finally decided it has a very thin crack.  I have been living with this for years because sometimes it hurts and sometimes it doesn't.  He's not going to do anything to it until it is hurting often enough that I want it fixed.  Right now, it hasn't hurt in so long I can't remember the last time it hurt, so we are good.

 

Teeth move and rotate slightly in our mouths and that can change how something feels. Maybe that is the case?

 

Coconut oil is a mild antiseptic, that is prob why oil pulling helps with some things.  It reduces inflammation. I'd rather use Cloysis, lol. The idea of oil pulling makes me gag. If you have a cavity that has become infected then the coconut oil might have helped, but it won't make the cavity go away. And the infection will keep coming back.  I really, really hope that is not the case, because an infection in a tooth is super painful and needs to be fixed.

 

It might be worth it to you to look around for a dentist who specializes in helping people with a dental anxiety. That is what our is. We didn't go see him for that, but I have found it to be an excellent thing. He takes everything super seriously but is also very conservative. He almost never drills on baby teeth, for example. He will wait to see if the tooth falls out first...of course taking action if it is warranted...but he doesn't drill every tiny carie he sees. He will also do whatever you need to feel comfortable.

 

[Katy]

Yes, dental anxiety dentist.  Helps a ton.

[marbel]

I have a tooth that sometimes - like, every few months - hurts like crazy.  The first time it happened I got an emergency appointment but the dentist could find nothing wrong.  I was worried about infection but there was none. The dentist checks it every time I go in and the only thing he can figure is that there is a small crack deep inside.  He made me a new mouth guard that he said might help. 

 

I've come to the conclusion that the tooth hurts when I am seriously stressed out about something.  I asked the dentist and he said that is a but unusual but not unheard of or impossible. He is a great dentist, ranked very highly in our area; is very careful, always explains options, etc.  So we call it my stress tooth and when it happens I try to figure out if I'm stressed or anxious, take a pain pill and a break from what I'm doing.  He still checks it at every regular appointment, of course.

[December]

If it is a top tooth, sometimes sinus pressure can cause the top teeth to feel weird.

[38carrots]

Thanks. It is a bottom mollar.

 

I've been reading a lot about healing cavities, and I can't decide whether it is all hogwash, or there's some truth to it. I do know that small cavities come and go, even based on one's menstrual cycle. Several very mainstream dentitst told me so. So from this I can extrapolate that changes to tooth decay can be reversible with diet and what not.

 

Everyone is my family uses xylitol and some of us use oil pulling as well. I actually *love* oil pulling.

 

Anyway, I do know that the tooth was affected by me clenching teeth at night, but not anymore. Or maybe I'm not clenching as much.

[HeWillSoar]

Are you sure it was a cavity?  When I worked for a dentist, he often told people to try Sensodyne toothpaste if he couldn't find the problem.  My DH went to the dentist for a sensitive tooth and the dentist couldn't find anything so he told him to wait a few weeks and come back if it still hurt.  I told him to try Sensodyne and the pain went away.  Perhaps the oil is having a similar effect. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

No clue.  I had some sensitivity issues somewhat recently, but it was in more than one tooth.  I used Sensodyne and that really worked.  Sensodyne does not work instantly though.  Takes weeks.  But yep, since then no issues.

 

 

[Evergreen State Sue]

What is oil pulling?

[Guest]

Oh goodness, I'd be traumatized from that dental history! No advice, just hugs.

[SparklyUnicorn]

What is oil pulling?

 

sort of like gargling with oil....you swish it through your teeth and stuff

[emcap]

About oil pulling, cavities, and hogwash: I tend to be a skeptic, but willing to try things. Not usually hopeful they'll actually work 😉

 

My son went to the dentist about three weeks ago, we were told about a cavity and to make an appt to have it taken care of. The tooth in front of the cavity was loose and when it fell out about a week and a half ago I could clearly see his cavity. It was a black hole in the side of the tooth. After a little over a week of oil pulling daily, along with taking cod liver oil and trace minerals it is significantly smaller and a light brown. We will continue to oil pull and watch it. I'll be making his appointment to get it taken care of soon, but I'm hoping it will be gone before then!

 

I know that cavities supposedly can't be healed, and I didn't really believe it myself until I'm actually seeing it happen. If it continues to actually happen, of course.

Edited December 10, 2015 by emcap

[redsquirrel]

If you are seeing black in a hole in the tooth, you are probably seeing gunk caught in the carie. It is acidic and it can inflame the area.  I don't doubt that rinsing etc can help to get the gunk out.  That doesn't mean the carie in the tooth still isn't there. It just isn't being highlighted by the rotting gunk. It probably feels better as well, and that is a good thing!

 

My son had several baby teeth that had spots that didn't have enamel. Over time those spots turned brown, but never black. Those weren't caries and they weren't rotting teeth, they were gunk caught in the softer tooth material that wasn't covered in enamel. Every time he went to the dentist the gunk could be cleaned out and then the area could be checked to see if it needed filling.  Fortunately, our dentist is very conservative with treatment and they all fell out before any real action was needed. But it was only because dh and I brushed ds2 teeth ourselves and had him do a pre-rinse and then a fluoride/anti-bacterial rinse after brushing, twice a day every day, that we were able to stay on top of it.

 

The latest research on xylitol is showing that it isn't quite as useful as hoped. It doesn't seem to promote tooth decay, but it also doesn't seem to prevent it either. So, there doesn't seem to be any benefit to xylitol rinses or mints etc, unless you like the sweet taste without the possibility of decay.

 

http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2015-archive/march/new-research-shows-clinical-evidence-unclear-on-effects-of-xylitol-products-preventing-dental-carie

[emcap]

Like I said, I'm typically a skeptic and still going to get it checked. However, the hole is simply smaller, It just is. I can see new whiteness where it looks like it is remineralizing (getting remineralized? I don't know how to phrase it.). It is also getting shallower. I'm not trying to argue against accepted dental knowledge and I know I may sound like a nut, but this is exciting. I hope it continues, we shall see.

[OnMyOwn]

Like I said, I'm typically a skeptic and still going to get it checked. However, the hole is simply smaller, It just is. I can see new whiteness where it looks like it is remineralizing (getting remineralized? I don't know how to phrase it.). It is also getting shallower. I'm not trying to argue against accepted dental knowledge and I know I may sound like a nut, but this is exciting. I hope it continues, we shall see.

I'm similar to you as far as being a skeptic but willing to try things.

 

Please update us if the cavity goes away completely and especially if the dentist says he no longer has it. I'd be very interested in that.

[OnMyOwn]

I developed a real problem with one of my teeth and the dentist was having trouble figuring out what was causing the problem. It got worse until one night I kept waking myself up because I was clenching my teeth and every time I bit down, I'd get a zing of pain bad enough that it would wake me up.

 

I immediately started oil pulling and bought an otc night guard and it is healed as long as I keep wearing the night guard. If I go a week or so without the night guard , the sensitivity comes back, so I must still be clenching.

[StephanieZ]

FWIW, root canals "go bad". I just had one do that. :( My (great) dentist told me that these days, she typically sees root canals get re-infected (and then have to be redone!) around year 7. I was year 5. I'm special! She further told me that 30 years ago, root canals lasted "forever" . ..  Her theory is that's because they used to always use antibiotics, but don't anymore (for good reasons). She put me on antibiotics while I waited to see the endodontist the next week to have the redo root canal.

 

(The endodontist told me that I had infection there under the crown, in the fork of the roots . . . due to a crack in the crown . . . Whatever the cause, one way or another, I had essentially an abscess in there, with no nerves in the roots since I'd had a root canal, but a bulging pocket of pus that presses against dead roots + bones + hard teeth/crowns . . . is painful. And that's what I had.)

 

I had significant pain in the tooth on and off for a couple weeks and it got bad enough that I called the dentist. Then, a couple days later, the pain got so much better that I almost cancelled the appointment. Fortunately, I went on it. The dentist explained that the decreased pain was probably because the pus "drained" . ..  ICK. Sure enough, the pain started increasing again the next day, before I filled the RX. I filled it, and the pain subsided . . . Now it's all fixed with a new root canal and new crown. :) 

 

FWIW, I am a big sissy about dental pain. If I were tougher, or less financially able to handle the dental bills, or more scared of the dentist (I trust and love mine now, although I still take Xanax for things like root canals and crown prep . . .) I could have easily waited a lot longer . . . and I could imagine you could have a waxing/waning infection that goes on for a very long time, especially if you're doing things like oil-pulling/etc that might help reduce inflammation and/or infection . . .

 

So, yah, I'd make the appointment. :)

[38carrots]

Like I said, I'm typically a skeptic and still going to get it checked. However, the hole is simply smaller, It just is. I can see new whiteness where it looks like it is remineralizing (getting remineralized? I don't know how to phrase it.). It is also getting shallower. I'm not trying to argue against accepted dental knowledge and I know I may sound like a nut, but this is exciting. I hope it continues, we shall see.

 

Very interesting and encouraging. Please keep us updating.

[38carrots]

FWIW, root canals "go bad". I just had one do that. :( My (great) dentist told me that these days, she typically sees root canals get re-infected (and then have to be redone!) around year 7. I was year 5. I'm special! She further told me that 30 years ago, root canals lasted "forever" . ..  Her theory is that's because they used to always use antibiotics, but don't anymore (for good reasons). She put me on antibiotics while I waited to see the endodontist the next week to have the redo root canal.

 

(The endodontist told me that I had infection there under the crown, in the fork of the roots . . . due to a crack in the crown . . . Whatever the cause, one way or another, I had essentially an abscess in there, with no nerves in the roots since I'd had a root canal, but a bulging pocket of pus that presses against dead roots + bones + hard teeth/crowns . . . is painful. And that's what I had.)

 

I had significant pain in the tooth on and off for a couple weeks and it got bad enough that I called the dentist. Then, a couple days later, the pain got so much better that I almost cancelled the appointment. Fortunately, I went on it. The dentist explained that the decreased pain was probably because the pus "drained" . ..  ICK. Sure enough, the pain started increasing again the next day, before I filled the RX. I filled it, and the pain subsided . . . Now it's all fixed with a new root canal and new crown. :)

 

FWIW, I am a big sissy about dental pain. If I were tougher, or less financially able to handle the dental bills, or more scared of the dentist (I trust and love mine now, although I still take Xanax for things like root canals and crown prep . . .) I could have easily waited a lot longer . . . and I could imagine you could have a waxing/waning infection that goes on for a very long time, especially if you're doing things like oil-pulling/etc that might help reduce inflammation and/or infection . . .

 

So, yah, I'd make the appointment. :)

 

I have a root canal from 22 years ago, and all the dentists have remarked how well done it was. The new one, that was supposed to fix my issues and didn't is from about 5 years ago.

 

Disgraceful that they would just make more work for themselves by not doing them properly anymore. This only adds to my mistrusts of dentists, and I simply don't know who to find a good one. Everyone says that their dentist is great. But then it turns out they love their dentist because the only do cleanings there, or because the dentist is friendly, or because they get gas for fillings.

 

That's okay, I'll continue working on myself and will find a good one. Right now I'm all for oil pullint and supplements. Xylitol makes my mouth to feel cleaner and fresher and takes away sensitivity in that bad tooth in the same as as oil pulling.