tooth pain

[Jessup]

so here's the problem i had a hard time equalizing when i first started diving the last dive for my open water cert i did two dive's and on the descent on my third i had a piercing pain on one of my top teeth worst pain i ever felt.
So i figured out my equalizing problem went to the pool ten times no tooth pain.
Decided to start my advance course so im at the lake did three dive to 30ft no problem on my fourth dive i hit 10 ft and i feel the same pain.I can not figure out why i am having this problem only every once and a while. I went to the dentist they did x ray's they say everthing looks good. My biggest problem is i want to go on a dive trip in feb and i need to figure out what my problem is so this issue does'nt end up ruining my trip.

 

[Guba]

The problem most likely isn't in your teeth...it's in your sinuses. Nerves responsible for registering tooth pain to the brain are sometimes affected by changes in pressure in the nasal cavities, and that's why people suffering from congestion often report their upper teeth hurting. I'm no physician, but it's a fair (layman's) guess that this could be your problem. I'm also offering only conjecture about the solution: take steps to insure that your sinuses are totally clear. Some divers advocate nasal sprays such as Afrin, etc...but I can't vouch for that as a remedy. I'll leave that up to others with more experience and expertise than I possess. Hope you fare well on the upcoming trip.

 

[CRC65]

I am a physician and Guba is correct. Technically this sort of pain is called referred pain. This is where a problem in one area of the body is felt in another. Heart attacks are often felt as arm pain. In this case the maxillary sinus is quite close to the tooth roots. Be careful using Afrin for any extended periods of time. Try plain nasal saline (over the counter)...use it a couple times a day and you might find it clears you up. Failing that you want to be seen by an otolaryngologist also known as an ENT doctor. Good luck.

 

[Damselfish]

yeah, if you checked out ok at the dentist it's probably the sinuses.

You're experiencing the problem every once in awhile but it's not actually on random dives, it's on your later dives. Everyone is different, but I find that it becomes more difficult for me to clear as I do multiple dives. My sinuses just start to get less and less happy about the whole thing as the day or week goes on. You could be experiencing something like this.