THank you all so much for writing...it's been a roller-coaster of a day...I called the dentist back and said that it was worse than ever, not subsiding, just growing -- he folded and referred me to an endodontist, but I couldn't call them until after 5, so I won't know if I can be seen until tomorrow morning. By around 5:30 as I was driving DD to orchestra, it finally HIT so bad I was ready to go to an ER. I was sweating, panting from the pain, and felt faint...oh my gosh it was bad and just getting worse...luckily DH met me at the orchestra place and he drove me at first to a dental ER, but I REFUSED to let them see me because it seemed so shady (weirdly, I got definite vibes not to let them near me, and the weirdness was confirmed by the completely inappropriate behavior of the people behind the desk and the questions on the registration sheet -- how many medical offices make you write the name of your "Financial Institution" and warn you about the fee if you don't call within 24 hours of your next appointment before even handing you the *long* registration form??! but I digress)...by then I had given in and taken an extra half tramadol, just because I was going completely insane with the pain. I would categorize it as the second worst pain I've ever felt--first being childbirth. But I think the tramadol what did the trick because in about 45 minutes I was living again, doing errands with DH while we waited for DD. I can feel it's coming back again now, but I know now how to control it until tomorrow morning. jbrig, thank you for the clarification -- you're right, I was being too broad-brush and ended up just being wrong -- I think I was thinking of the prostaglandin-inhibiting and the anti-inflammatory effects of ibuprofen (or at least that's what I had been told). Thanks for correcting me. Funny that you should mention the tramadol/flexeril, because those are what I take -- the tramadol in the daytime for fibro and the flexeril at night (low dose, as a muscle relaxer as you mention). camlan, WOW...that's scary...how did they end up finding it? Do you have complete resolution now and you're pain-free? And Pat, I'm sorry to hear you've had that situation for years...I can only imagine what it must be like for that long. Could TN2 include the feeling that teeth are about to explode? INTENSE ache? I'll bring it up with the endodontist tomorrow. I can feel a tooth throbbing now, starting the wind-up. I really appreciate your all's understanding, help and good wishes so much. I'll post back about the endodontist. THANK YOU!

I'm 64, female and soooo upset! In Oct I broke the upper back tooth on right in half. Finally, in Nov., 10, I went to dentist, got it capped. 1-2 wks. Pain continued immediately.........so, this past Tues., March 2nd, got my first root canal. Still have the same pain! Was put on anti-inflam.meds plus Amoxcillian 875 plus Loritab 5mg. for pain. Nothing works!!! The dentist said he got all 3 canals, removed the root! X-ray didn't even show that I needed a root canal but dentist said, 'you have pain, got to need r.canal.' The x-ray also did not show an abcess. Today is March 5th, absolute no better. Dentist called in another antibiotic, ClindamycinHCL 150 mg capsule - took my first 2 capsules today.........I am so nervous and scared as to what's going on!!! I put a tiny piece of baked fish on the right side, barely chewed it and it hurts so bad! He said the 3 roots that go into the gum can be a major job to pull because one of the roots is twisted backward and will be major pulling it out......I'm at a loss as to what to do. I'm going to give my new antibiotics approx. 5 days to see if I get some relief. Suggestions anyone??? ;0(

I don't disagree with anything above. That said, in over fifty years of dog ownership, I've never had a dog that required dental care, to include cleaning. I have never brushed their teeth. Always fed a quality kibble and for decades have not fed any "treats" other than a few pieces of kibble. Many of the years I had dogs the breed was (English) Bulldogs. Arguably, their teeth do not lend themselves to even contact with hard kibble as their teeth are generally not "straight." I currently have but one dog - she is a 6 year old Greyhound that I got from the track in Tampa, Florida. I've had her for 1 1/2 years. Greyhounds right off the track are notorious for having bad teeth as they had been fed an exclusively soft diet while at the track. (My girl now gets a quality kibble with no treats,as described above.) For the first time, I have added to steps to my dog's regimen as re to dental care. Once a day I give her a large Greenie, which she chews on vigorously for about 5-10 minutes. Cost like a buck a day! I also have been adding a "splash" of a liquid additive called, Tropiklean Fresh Breath. Cost like peanuts a day. With this dog I also have been adding Solid Gold Seameal (It's seaweed) to her kibble. Cost maybe 20 cents a day. I do this only because I found a Brit Veterinary Study that suggested seaweed fed to dogs may reduce dental bacteria by killing it. The only reason I am posting is to share my concern for my current dog's dental care because of the total lack of support that she received for the nearly five years before she came to my home. I am NOT advocating a course of treatment, but did want to mention that as seemingly important daily cleaning may sound, that there are people that do not do that and have had a positive result - in my case for over half a century.

Joann: Do you have the full story? Bone grafting is sometimes done when a post is to be installed. If the jaw bone has thinned and there isn't enough bone to support an implant, a bone graft is done to build up bone material. Its best to have this procedure done by a dentist who has been certified for this type of oral surgery. I have never had a bone graft recommended to me after a simple tooth extraction. However, when it came time for an implant, a bone graph was done ( following the extraction). My dentist determined that I did not have a thick enough jaw to accommodate a post and would not do the post unless the jaw bone was thickened. I was under the impression that an empty tooth socket would fill in, but according to my dentist, it does not fill in with true bone. A bone graft encourages the tooth socket to become solid bone and fused with the jaw. As we age, the jaw does loose some material. The loss of a tooth can encourage bone loss. The jaw bone is stimulated by loads imparted to it by the teeth. Bone tends to strengthen at high stress stress zones. You asked about pain. The procedure is more uncomfortable than painful. On the day of the surgery, you will be given a shot of anesthetic in the jaw, the same as for a tooth extraction. The gum will be opened, the tooth socket cleaned out and ground up bone put in place with medication to encourage new bone to form. (You won't feel any pain for this. You'll have the discomfort of having your mouth propped open for the duration of the procedure.) The bone particles act as an armature for the new bone growth. At the end of the surgery, the gum is sown shut and you'll be given instructions about aftercare. You will need to use care not to injure the site over the next few hours because it will be numb and you may not know it is being damaged. The Dentist may prescribe pain medicine in case there is pain after the shot wear off. I did not need any pain pills afterward. Yes, there was soreness, the same as for any surgery, but that went away. There will be several followup visits. In a week or two, the stitches will be pulled and then you wait, you wait for new bone to grow. This will take from 3 to 6 months. Mine was ready after 3 months. Bone progress will be checked by x-ray when the dentist suspects it may be complete. This procedure can be abandoned up to the point where the dentist orders the implant and the tooth cap. After that, it does not make economic sense to stop, so make your decision before this. However, to my way of thinking, it does not make sense to stop the procedure after it has begun, therefore, one should make the go, no-go decision before the bone graft.