is it my nerve or my teeth? Need advice.
Hey everyone,
Hoping for some insight because I'm at my wit's end with a dental/medical mystery. Here's the timeline:
October: Went to Clinic #1 for a check-up. Did a CT scan. Treated tooth #37 (deep cavity, but dentist said it didn't reach the nerve). Soon after, the neighboring tooth #36 started aching and reacting to hot/cold.
Went back to the same dentist. She saw no issues with #36 and instead treated tooth #16. The pain in #36 didn't go away.
Later, tooth #16 also started aching. Went back again. She again saw no problems, but suggested replacing the filling in #36. I agreed. Pain persisted.
Final visit to her: she still saw nothing, applied fluoride to #36, and said if it doesn't help, the next step is a root canal on #36.
November: The pain spread. My jaw hurt, and it felt like multiple teeth were aching (#16, #27, #46), with #36 being the worst, with pain radiating into my jaw. Went to Clinic #2.
They took X-rays of all the problematic and recently treated teeth. Found nothing.
The doctor sprayed water and said if it was pulpitis, I'd be jumping from pain (my pain was moderate, not extreme). Gums were fine. His conclusion: not a dental issue. He referred me to a neurologist.
Neurologist Visit (Nov 18): Did the pressure-point tests. I had a reaction on one point on the left side. Diagnosis: Neuropathy of the 3rd branch of the trigeminal nerve. Prescribed: Vitamin B, anti-inflammatories, and Carbamazepine.
After 1 month of treatment: The overall facial/jaw pain decreased, BUT:
Tooth #36 still reacts to hot/cold and aches.
Tooth #16 sometimes aches.
Weird sensation near tooth #46.
New symptom: feeling of mobility in lower right teeth (neurologist said this is due to anxiety).
The neurologist said nerve treatment can take up to 6 months and to continue Carbamazepine.
Today: Got a second opinion at Clinic #3. New CT scan and exam. This dentist zeroed in on the original tooth #37 (the first one treated back in October). He said the filling is extremely close to the nerve, likely putting pressure on it and causing referred pain in #36. His recommendation: root canal on #37.
So now I have three completely different opinions:
First dentist: Problem is #36, needs root canal.
Second dentist/Neurologist: Problem is neurological (trigeminal nerve).
Third dentist: Problem is the originally treated #37, needs root canal.
Any advice would be hugely appreciated. The latest CT scans are attached. English is not my main language, so I apologize for the mistakes.Thanks for reading.
Posted Dec 29, 2025, 7:49 PM UTC