Tooth sensitivity to hot/cold after dive

[Bubblesong]

Keep taking NSAIDS to calm down tooth "Nervous Nerves", plus the dentist can recommend, probably over the phone, a high Fluoride toothpaste or gel that has the effect of desensitizing tooth nerves just enough to stop them getting "jangled up" by temp changes. That is my dentists words, "jangled up", gotta love her!

 

[Wookie]

Yes to the NSAIDS. I was taking Motrin (800 and 200) with mixed results. It was the Naproxin that solved the issue. So, root canal Friday at noon. Pain finally stopped Sunday at 4. No sensitivity to hot or cold, no pain, no ill effects. Except the temporary filling they put in for a month. It keeps collapsing into the hole. Not dangerous, just disconcerting and I can't keep my tongue out of it.

 

[Rred]

+1 on seeing a dentist and hoping you find a good one.
But also try "Sensodyne" toothpaste. Or another brand that "reduces sensitivity". They add a pinch, literally two cents worth of a chemical in the ingredients, then they charge 4x the price of plain toothpaste for it. But, the stuff works for a lot of tooth issues, apparently by blocking the porosity in the enamel after damage or work has been done. Give it a week or two to build and before you decide if it is helping or not, this is not instantaneous.

 

[Tool Belt]

What is the duration of the pain? A few seconds and things ____may___ resolve themselves or the above noted remedies may help. Pain that lasts longer than 15-30 seconds, or sensitivity to heat (which may well be the progression of your symptoms) indicate a condition that is typically irreversible and will likely end with a necrotic (read dead) tooth. With necrosis the good news is the temperature sensitivity will be gone, the bad news is you may swell up like a SMB. If it progresses to the heat sensitivity stage it is not uncommon to need to carry a glass of ice water around to keep "dousing" the tooth.

Find a dentist if the sensitivity is anything other than short lived as a root canal is likely in your future. Make sure they put a good temporary in ( and in CZM I would think they would) as you really do not want compressed gas entering that area particularly at depth.

Most of the time root canals are not at all bad.......people just talk about the bad ones....very few people just spontaneously spout WOW!! Just had a fabulous root canal!

Good luck, find a dentist.

 

[Lopez116]

Which tooth is it?

Bottom right (last molar on bottom)

 

[Lopez116]

Not sensitive to hot at all, just cold. Still sensitive after two dives to 80' today, but the sensitivity has decreased somewhat. I'm still purposely keeping liquids away from it though.

I bought sensodyne at the store last night and brushed with it last night and this morning, so that might have helped. Thankfully, my diving has been unaffected.

Thanks all for the advice.

 

[Bubblesong]

Bottom right (last molar on bottom)

I had tooth pain in back bottom molars due to teeth grinding, which I found an over the counter soft mouth guard helped.
But the good news is it can't be related to sinus infection! Always that ray of sunshine!

 

[Dizzi Lizzi]

you can also try coating that tooth with the sensodyne and letting it sort of soak in. That helps me when my teeth act up. I put in in my bite guard and let it sit.

 

[Lopez116]

you can also try coating that tooth with the sensodyne and letting it sort of soak in. That helps me when my teeth act up. I put in in my bite guard and let it sit.

I thought of that but hadn't tried it. I think I'll give it a shot tonight.

 

[halocline]

I had some dental work done a few months ago - several fillings and a crown. I dove yesterday for the first time since then. No pain upon descent or ascent at all. But, when I drank a glass of cold water after surfacing, the tooth with the crown was extremely painful and sensitive to cold.

It still is like that this morning. This is day 2 of the trip, so obviously I have more dives planned. I am worried now.

Anybody know why the sensitivity? Will further diving do damage???

Thanks

I wonder if the mouthpiece is contributing to your problem, not so much the change in pressure. You don't have a moldable mouthpiece like the seacure, do you?

Another thing about diving is that you are continuously blasting cold dry air over your teeth, not that different from they do in the dentist's office. I wonder if that could be contributing to cold sensitivity.

Either way, if it started hurting after the dive and continued to hurt the following day, you might be looking at a trip to the dentist in Cozumel. I'm sure there are some good ones at a fraction of the price of U.S. dentists. Who knows, maybe there's a silver lining in this for you.