A year ago, I had a cap put on. Years before, after no previous cavities and excellent dental health, a dentist claimed I had six and put several fillings in two teeth. The teeth eventually cracked and had to each have caps. The first cap was without incident. The second was quickly followed by tenderness and bleeding at the adjacent tooth, which I reported promptly to the dentist office. They said not to worry--not the dentist but an assistant. Then, I lost my dental insurance due to a bad accident and not being able to work. I kept good dental hygiene habits and rinsing with a commercial rinse that has H2O2 in it. But, my cheek seemed to slightly thicken, my discomfort spread to my jaw and a mild headache only on that side, with some mild swollen neck glands. It was so gradual over a whole year that I was never really sure it was a significant problem or maybe from grinding my teeth, which I do on that side. I forgot to mention that the cap didn't fit so the dentist filed off the adjacent tooth to make it fit. My new insurance through my new employer starts June 1, and I have been taking amoxycillin for a few days, which seems to be slowly taking the symptoms down a bit. I have hijacked a friend's dental appointment for June 1 to get this looked at.
My questions:
1) Is it possible that the filing off the adjacent tooth caused an opening for the infection to get in?
2) Is it possible that the grinding of my teeth could cause an opening for infection to get in? (But, the symptoms appeared soon after the cap was put on.)
3) Is it possible the cap trapped bacteria or allowed a space for bacteria to get in? (But, the tenderness started in the adjacent tooth.)
4) What can I do to avoid this in the future? I am 50yo female with generally very good health but stress due to job and raising a teenager alone, plus my injuries, but I have good health habits except for not enough sleep or exercise, which I'm working on as I was always fit before my accident. Any dental practices to do other than my brushing, flossing and rinsing?
5) What would help until my appointment? (I am changing dentists, by the way.)