Any dentists here? or someone with dental knowledge

[piggynose]

the reason i ask is, i´ve got this ache in the top left of my mouth. Anyway, went to the dentist recently, they x-rayed it, and said they could see no dental decay. but suggested i have the nerve deadened!! i said i´d give it some thought and let them know. Does this seem a bit drastic?

pn

[douglas9401]

Were there no other options offered? It does seem a bit drastic when the root (see what I did there?) cause is unidentified. Was the procedure offered as private or NHS and does your local hospital have a dental department you could be referred to?
In the meantime may I offer the services of the Scottish distilling industry to bring temporary relief.
Good luck.

[saxy_jag]

I've had the nerves 'removed' from several of my teeth due them having 'died' and become useless (long story). I have to say though, this has mostly been via root canal treatments, which lessen the chance of the root of the tooth becoming infected at a later point.

If your dentist does mean root canal, then it's usually done at the surgery under local anaesthetic.

He/she could go one step further and refer you for an apicectomy, which is where they go into the gum and remove and backfill the tip of the root - again, to help prevent further infections. Sounds drastic but it's honestly not as bad as it sounds.

[J9PUR]

Sorry Piggynose, MUCH too little information to advise you.

Ideally you need a diagnosis and origin of the pain before a treatment plan can be formulated...
What other investigations have you had other than an x-ray?
The fact that no decay is apparent on an x-ray does not mean that there is no decay there, only that there is none seen.
Even if there is no decay in a tooth, this certainly does not mean that a tooth cannot be giving symptoms.
In terms of answering your question (with the information available), elective root canal treatment is often carried out to alleviate symptoms. However, I would want to be as certain as possible that the pain is:
a) of dental origin (as opposed to another source)
b) arising from that tooth

Sorry I can't be of more help at present

[piggynose]

hi j9pur, what do you suggest i should do?

[J9PUR]

I would simply go back and discuss this with your dentist as only they have your history, examination and investigations. When faced with these unclear situations where there may only be a provisional diagnosis, we only have a certain number of options:
1) Go with the most LIKELY diagnosis and treat as appropriate (with patient consent)
2) Monitor the situation and review. The problem will either resolve or deteriorate (then often will become easier to get a definative diagnosis and treat)
3) Obtain a second/specialist opinion

Sorry I can't be of more specific help

[piggynose]

well after all that, the pain has finally disappeared!!
hurray