Metal Mouth Message Board

I've had braces for about 14 months now, and have had a great experience with my orthodontist.

However I want to put a warning out there for everyone! I have obviously felt the pain and discomfort of braces. However, I found it tough at times to distinguish between dental tooth pain (cavity, etc) and the pain from my moving teeth. At my last cleaning, I felt a strong pain in my last top molar, but dismissed it as pain from my braces, and decided to "suck it up"

It turns out - I have an infection that spread from my sinus into my jaw and into that tooth, and is fairly advanced! I did not realize this until I was in excrutiating pain all weekend, and finally went to the dentist on Monday morning. I am now on an antibiotic and pain med regimen and am waiting until the infection subsides, at which point I need one (possibly 2) root canals.

Please don't dismiss all pain as orthodontic pain! I've now learned that it is better to get something checked than have it progress to the point where it cannot be fixed.

oh sorry to hear but thanks for the heads up
i too have been wondering how to distinguish the different types of pain
im worried about a potential cavity forming on a banded molar

Sorry to hear about your status, BoSox2008, but thanks for the reminder. I think a lot of people hesitate to ask their ortho about something that doesn't feel right, but it doesn't hurt to ask - and, in the long run, it may help! If something doesn't feel right, often it's because it isn't right.