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Question:
Pain: I am a 46 yr old female and for the past week I have had excrutiating pain on one side of my face.
I have a molar that is broken, but the pain is around each tooth, top and bottom, on one side of my face. The pain spreads to my ear, my cheek, around my eye, and to my temple.
It started about 1-1/2 weeks ago and it hit all of a sudden, almost like an attack. This severe, mind-numbing pain lasted for about 45 minutes then subsided. That side of my face was sore for a couple of days, but not necessarily painful.
The same thing happened a few days later. Should I visit a dentist or an MD for this? The pain is dull, constant in every tooth on that side of my face in my head and my ear. .. Visitor from AR
Answer:
If the pain seems to be generalized around the ear and jaw joints and along the jaw, it suggests
an occlusal disorder, likely caused by the broken molar. It doesn't take much change in a key dental structure to change the way a jaw closes... and perhaps in this case... is closing too much.
Get some consults (not just one) with dentists who are expert at diagnosing and treating tmj dysfunction.
Assuming the molar will be removed, it is likely that adjacent tooth structures may be modified to restore the original bite height at the location of the extraction. A tooth replacement (e.g., implant) could more routinely reinstate your natural bite characteristics.
Editorial Staff
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