For about two years I have had pain on my right upper molar. I used to watch the hole get bigger and bigger and finally (about a month and half ago) I went to get it filled. The dentist warned me and told me that it was such a deep cavity and may require a root canal if the pain gets worse or doesn't get any better in about 6 months. Here we are today, literally, and I have been having this throbbing pain all day. When I apply pressure to the gum next to that tooth, it feels comforting. But the reality remains the same and I am pretty convinced that I will be headed back for a root canal (which I am totally spooked about). Since I had that filling put in, I have never been able to chew anything other than soft foods on that side because it feels as if the food is "jabbing" into the filling (like the way it felt pre-filling). I remember when I went in for a checkup, he put a q-tip like thing on that tooth with a freezing agent (something like that) which would determine if my nerve was dead. For the first few seconds, I didn't feel anything, then all of the sudden, I felt it! So to my relief, I didn't need a root canal. So here I am thinking of the possibilities- root canal. I will say that he told me I could feel some pain for a while as that tooth had such a deep cavity and that when he was filling it, he said he had gotten really (and he stressed that word) close to the nerve.
I will be calling tomorrow to see if it could be an infection. That is what I fear the most, because I hear that the infection can spread to your heart. Wish me luck