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Posted

I was out of town over the long weekend and began to feel some sensitivity to ice in my lower right gums. By Monday morning, it was hurting pretty badly and starting to radiate into my jaw. By Monday night, the pain was intense, and I was having to ramp up alternating Advil and Tylenol.

I got in to see the dentist Tuesday morning, and after an exam he was convinced it was grinding/TMJ. I’ve never had an issue with this before to my knowledge. He got me set up to do a scan for a mouthguard and everything.

However, the pain continued to intensify, and by this afternoon it had gotten really bad,  radiating through my teeth and down my jaw into my ear. I am having to take four Advil or three extra-strength Tylenol every three hours just to stay functional.

I called my dentist back this afternoon and asked if it could be a bacterial infection, and he reassured me it likely wasn’t, and I should stay the course with the pain meds. But this is awful. 
Any thoughts? Should I push for antibiotics?

Posted

I developed grinding about 6 years ago seemingly out of nowhere. Probably stress induced. Dentist said I had done some damage to my teeth and my jaw felt really fatigued. I got a custom mouthguard that I still wear. Grinding has gone down significantly. It helps that I made life changes that reduced my stressors.

You can get custom mouthguard kits online for 1/3rd the price dentists charge. Comes with various sized trays and putty that you bite into to make a hardened form. Takes a couple weeks to get the guard. You can get a cheapo version like one wears playing sports from any pharmacy, Target, etc...for the meantime.  

Posted

I received a TMJ diagnosis last fall and tried Botox without success (they should it into the jaw muscles in the hope they will be less activated).  
 

Now I’m using a dentist made mouth guard and it appears to have worked, though it took about a month of wearing it before the results were noticeable.  

Posted (edited)

@sasquatch69

My jaw locked (essentially in an underbite) a couple of years ago one afternoon and hurt like hell.  I took some OTC painkillers like you are talking about to no avail and when i finally went to sleep that night my muscles relaxed and my jaw went back to its normal position.  

The next time I went to the dentist for a cleaning I mentioned the incident and he wrote me a script for Carisoprodol 350mg (muscle relaxer) to have in case something like that happened again.  I haven't ever had it happen again but I have the pills just in case.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/carisoprodol-oral-route/description/drg-20071941

Might not apply in your situation, but it can't hurt to check with your dentist to see if they think a muscle relaxer might help while you are getting the mouthguard made.

Good luck!!

Edited by orange dream
Posted
On 9/3/2025 at 8:22 PM, sasquatch69 said:

I was out of town over the long weekend and began to feel some sensitivity to ice in my lower right gums. By Monday morning, it was hurting pretty badly and starting to radiate into my jaw. By Monday night, the pain was intense, and I was having to ramp up alternating Advil and Tylenol.

I got in to see the dentist Tuesday morning, and after an exam he was convinced it was grinding/TMJ. I’ve never had an issue with this before to my knowledge. He got me set up to do a scan for a mouthguard and everything.

However, the pain continued to intensify, and by this afternoon it had gotten really bad,  radiating through my teeth and down my jaw into my ear. I am having to take four Advil or three extra-strength Tylenol every three hours just to stay functional.

I called my dentist back this afternoon and asked if it could be a bacterial infection, and he reassured me it likely wasn’t, and I should stay the course with the pain meds. But this is awful. 
Any thoughts? Should I push for antibiotics?

 

Could be a cracked tooth as well. They typically aren't visible on standard radiographs. Unfortunately, if it is a cracked tooth, there is a decent chance that it goes all the way through the tooth and will require extraction. If you are in Austin, I would probably see an endodontist who can look at it in 3D CBCT. I would recommend Dr. Rane at EA of Austin (512) 459-3129.  Unfortunately, it is Friday so it will be hard to find someone available today.

 

Posted

Thanks for all the helpful advice on this thread.  I finally went to the doctor yesterday and she agreed it was a nerve or muscle spasm issue.   I got a pain shot and steroid, as well as a low-dose amoxicillin round in case it was an infection, and after 24 hours on the meds I feel so much better - just have some lingering numbness that I plan to keep an eye on and follow up with dentist if it's not clear by Monday.

  • Hook 'Em 1
Posted
On 9/3/2025 at 10:46 PM, SizzleChest said:

It might be worth checking if you have trigeminal neuralgia.

OP please note this post. A few years ago I had your symptoms and the above is what I ended up having. Despite reading that it was a condition which might not go away, my primary care doctor treated it with some sort of medication and it cleared up right away. It was a terrifying level of pain. Almost unbearable. I went to the doctor after the dentist failed to identify the issue correctly. 

Posted
3 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

OP please note this post. A few years ago I had your symptoms and the above is what I ended up having. Despite reading that it was a condition which might not go away, my primary care doctor treated it with some sort of medication and it cleared up right away. It was a terrifying level of pain. Almost unbearable. I went to the doctor after the dentist failed to identify the issue correctly. 

It's a horribly painful condition and the pain attacks can be completely debilitating.  Often treated with Gabapentinoids.

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