Can tooth pain cause pain at depth

[DiverDun]

I recall during my basic course that you shouldn't dive if you have a tooth pain. I recently had a cavity filled and they hit the root so I have a tender area. I will likely have to go back to have a root canal but don't have time now.

I am traveling this weekend to the ocean and was hoping to get in at least one dive in but don't want to go through the expense and effort to prepare for a dive if I can expect to abort my and my buddy's dive.

Any thoughts? Is it possible that I won't have any problems at depth even if I have a tender tooth?

Thanks

 

[kadleck]

I guess it's possible, but I think it's unlikely you'll have any extra pain. The way I understand it (no doubt others will have way more knowledge than I do) is that a 'tooth squeeze' happens when there is an air space under a filling. Assuming your 'tenderness' is just the result of the drilling, and the filling was correctly applied, a squeeze is unlikely.

Having said that, if your pain is unbearable at the surface, you'll be doing yourself no favours by diving with it!

 

[Brian Sharpe]

I think the potential problem lies with air trapped in poorly filled cavities etc. expanding as you ascend. You may find uncomfortable holding your mouthpiece though if you've had recent dental work.

 

[Gene_Hobbs]

Further reading...

Barodontalgia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[DiverDun]

Thanks for the quick responses.

The last post made me realize that I might find some additional info by using Google.
I found the following detailed post from DAN. It may be of interest to others with this concern.
Dental Distress from Alert Diver

From these responses and my reading I am tempted to think I will not likely have tooth pain as I do not expect to have any air gaps or fractures in my teeth.

Thanks for the responses.

 

[sprange]

Assuming the tooth was properly restored (no voids/etc) pressure changes shouldn't be a problem. What could be a problem however is breathing cold compressed air if your tooth is sensitive (a common problem after a very large restoration that ended up in close proximity to the pulp). White restorations tend to have a higher rate of sensitivity versus the old-school amalgam ones, especially when they're large. Regardless, if you can handle cold water and can tolerate pressure on the tooth I wouldn't be too concerned.