Can anyone help me with a diving problem?

[emilylauren]

Hi ive been diving and i have a tooth squeeze this happend last time i went diving i couldnt get past 3 M because of the pain..i went to the dentist and they took xrays i have no cavitys or fillings they said the teeth are perfectly fine..today i went and did a dive to 18 M for around 25 mins and was all fine i went up to the surface because my buddy went up and as i went to go back down again the squeeze came back and caused a lot of pain so had to abort the dive the tooth kept niggling for around an hour once i was out and i cant decide if the pain is in the tooth or the gum it is one of the top back teeth..just wondering has anyone experienced this or anyone know what i can do to help stop it?!!! Thanks.Emily

 

[scubachrisb]

As the tooth is at the back, it may not be a tooth squeeze at all, sometimes as the upper molar and bicuspid teeth are so close to the maxillary sinus what is perceived as a tooth squeeze could actually be from the sinus applying pressure to the roots of teeth near the affected sinuses.
If you have no fillings or root canals etc then i'd suggest that that is the probable cause, although other than equalizing more regularly i'm not too sure how you would sort the problem out. Anyway hope in some way that might be useful
Chris

 

[TSandM]

I agree -- if the teeth have been checked, the most like culprit is sinus squeeze. A visit to an ENT doc might be in order.

 

[hvulin]

maybe some nerve is getting pushed (by the mask?) or maybe you should try another dentist

 

[brucet]

I would also opt for a second dental opinion.

 

[Louie]

The only thing I would add to the good advice given already by previous posters is that a good mouthpiece can make you a lot more comfortable.

The bog standard mouthpieces can push and prod in the wrong places and cause pain. There are pieces made with this in mind - so shaped to fit differently or they're made of softer material.

After having a wisdom tooth removed many years ago, I noticed that I had sharp pains at the back of my mouth behind the molars while diving. I couldn't quite locate the exact source of the pain but switching to a comfortable mouthpiece made the pain go away.

 

[Laurence Stein DDS]

I would agree with all those who suggested a sinus squeeze. The lack of cavities or fillings would seem to rule out a dental pathology. That said, it is possible to have a fractured tooth which might create such a problem. In addition, an impacted wisdom tooth near the upper teeth might cause symptoms as well as a periodontal (gum) problem.

If your dentist is unable to find any of these problems, then my next thought would be your sinuses. See an ENT for further evaluation.

 

[discnjh]

The bog standard mouthpieces can push and prod in the wrong places and cause pain. There are pieces made with this in mind - so shaped to fit differently or they're made of softer material.

I have nothing to add to this conversation other than to say that I love the phrase "bog standard".