Serious Jaw Pain After Dental Appointment

I had my teeth prepared for six dental crowns and am now in temporaries. Four of the crowns are on the upper arch. Two on the lower. The rest of my upper arch is going to get porcelain veneers. I like the way they look, but my jaw is in serious pain. I called my dentist and they suggested that I take some ibuprofen. I wasn’t thrilled about that because I don’t like medicine but I always break down and take it. This has been going on for three days. I had always read that jaw pain means you have TMJ disorder. Is it possible that she gave me TMJ with these procedures by doing something wrong?  She’s out of town now and I’m worried about what to do if an emergency pops up.

Addy

Dear Addy,

While jaw pain can be an indication of TMJ disorder, it isn’t the only reason for it. You have had what is the equivalent of surgery with all the work you had done. This work required you to have your jaw wide open for quite some time. There will be some soreness, for a bit. In  fact, it can last for up to two weeks. That doesn’t mean it will, just that it can.

The ibuprofen is a great idea because it is an anti inflammatory. In addition to that, you can also put some warm cloths on your jaw. Go easy on the chewing and maybe have some softer foods until things calm down a bit.

The one exception to everything I said above is if your teeth are not coming together the way they should be. Your back teeth should all touch evenly when you bite down. Your dentist will have checked this when they were working on your dental crowns. Most dentists do a great job with this. Though, like in every profession, there are some who are not as skilled as others.

That being said, the pain you described sounds normal for what dental work you described. Give it some time and you should be fine. It will all be worth it when you have that gorgeous smile you’re planning on once your porcelain veneers are done.

As for your dentist being out of town,  when dentists leave town, they generally have a colleague on call. If a dental emergency pops up then they will be able to field calls and provide any urgent dental treatment that you would need.

This blog is brought to you by a gentle dentist in Nashville, Dr. David Wickness.