Dental Mystery

[Scuby Dooby]

My 13 year old son has been diving with me for about 6 months now and has done about 20 dives. Early on we had a scary incident where he suddenly spit his reg out and wanted to get to get to the surface - FAST. We caught him and he did a slow ascent from 10 feet and all was ok. When we asked him why he said that he had a sudden jolt of pain in his upper right pre molars (sorry, don't know the exact names but the 2 teeth after your canines). This caused a toothache that was bad enough to put him out of action for a whole night. I took him to the dentist and she couldn't figure out what might be the problem, especially since these 2 teeth had no decay and had never been worked on by a dentist!

Since then, the pain has been hit and miss - some dives it happens and others it doesn't. I had another diving dentist friend take a quick look and she wasn't sure what it might be either but wondered if maybe he is biting the mouthpiece hard enough to cause pain. My son claims he doesn't and I believe him, he is pretty comfortable underwater and when I ask him (slate) underwater if he is biting hard without realizing he just shakes the reg back and forth inside his mouth, no problem.

So - what in the world could be causing this pain and how can I solve it? I know that it keeps him from diving as much as he'd like to because it is very painful when it happens.

Any ideas from the tooth docs?

 

[glbirch]

My 13 year old son has been diving with me for about 6 months now and has done about 20 dives. Early on we had a scary incident where he suddenly spit his reg out and wanted to get to get to the surface - FAST.

My turn to bite my tongue...

 

[Scuby Dooby]

My turn to bite my tongue...

Before you bite it too hard . . .

This happened on his 2nd or 3rd pool session with the instructor (obviously) present and myself nearby. He was given an Octopus and there was little drama. Good news that he was blowing a slow stream of bubbles when the reg came out of his mouth

He explained that the pain was so powerful and sudden that it actually jerked his head back and that's what helped pop the reg out of his mouth.

 

[scren]

i am nowhere near an expert on this subject, but i have had a lot of sinus issues in my life, and oftentimes they cause what feels like tooth pain, particularly in the "molar-type" teeth...maybe take him to a pediatrician or an ent to have this checked out?

 

[pasley]

My 13 year old son has been diving with me for about 6 months now and has done about 20 dives. Early on we had a scary incident where he suddenly spit his reg out and wanted to get to get to the surface - FAST...

I agree with another comment that you may want to check the sinus issue. As a year round suffer of allergies I have had the odd pain in the sinus taht felt like a tooth ache. The upper teeth between the cannine and the next 3 back (don't know their names either) are IMHO particularly prone to be sinus pain. He could be getting a blockage and when he decends or accends it is causing him pain. Does the pain end when he reverses direction?

I too will bite my toung on the age issue. (well, mostly anyway).

Not a dentist, medical professional, wise man, or even sane man, just a diver.

 

[glbirch]

Age issues aside...

I'm not a dentist, nor have I ever played one on tv, but from what I understand it is possible that the upper molars can have roots that go deep enough to be very close to or even penetrate into the sinus cavities. If this is the case, perhaps a sinus blockage could be causing sudden pressure on the root of the tooth. The nerves in the jaw also run close to the ear and can be irritated by a problem with the ear, such as an infection or irritation. An ENT would probably be a good idea, possibly even a specialist such as an oral surgeon.

When you took your son to the dentist, did he/she do any x-rays?

 

[chickdiver]

I'll give a third (or is it 4th now) vote for a visit to an ENT. My maxillary sinuses lie very close to my upper teeth. I found out the hard way, after a partial root canal. I hit 95' and had a portion of my maxiallry sinus get sucked into the air space left by the root canal. I cannot even begin to descibe the excrutiating pain I experienced. I do not remember the drive home (thankfully someone ele was driving), Lortab 7.5 (a narcotic pain reliever) didn't even take the edge off- NOTHING helped until Monday AM when I went to the endodontist and he opened up the tooth.

Rot Canal was redone, and I have since had no other problems with the area. It is, however, more senistive to pressure changes, and I cn definitely fell that sinus when I clear.

Godd luck.

 

[Laurence Stein DDS]

Geez, I'm gone one day and Wham! A hot dental question!

I'm gonna vote for the sinus thing myself. The premolars (bicuspids) and molars can border the maxillary sinus. Young children don't have much in the way of a sinus but at 13 it should be present.

Typically, when a person has a sinus pain that refers to teeth, it hurts for a while following the incident and then slowly goes away...often there is nothing to see by the time of an examination...dentally. Most often this is a person arriving on a flight and they call the office from the airport in pain. By the time they arrive, nada.

There is also another possibility...slim but possible. If the permanent canine teeth have not come in (or for that matter, the bicuspids,) then there may be baby molars or canine teeth in the mouth that are getting loose. If you bite on the regulator and apply pressure to the loose tooth, it will pinch the soft tissue under it and hurt. This is a long shot because 1) most kids have gotten the permanent teeth by then and, 2) In the last 6 months, these possible baby teeth should have already come out. Check to see if there are any loose teeth though.

If not, see the ENT. If there is a history of chronic allergies, colds, congestion, then it is possible that there is intermittent blockage and barotrauma from the sinuses.

Let me know how this goes.

Laurence Stein, DDS
:doctor: