severe facial pain after several fillings

[hculb]

I need help! 2 weeks ago I had 8 fillings done, and had my mouth open for about 2 and a half hours.  About 4 days later I started having severe pain throughout my whole face and jaw area, both sides.  When I finally got in to see my dentist, she didnt' see any signs of infections or reason to do a root canal. She did filed down several of my teeth because my bite was pretty off after having all that work done.  She said to try to give it a couple days and see if it goes away. She prescribed antibiotic and vicodin for the pain. A few days later I went to my primary physician thinking maybe I had a sinus infection and wanted to rule it out.  He said it was muscular like a sprain, due to my jaw being stretched so much. I can't open my jaw all the way either.  I does hurt on the right side when I open it too far. He gave me a muscle relaxer.  Not helping.  Is it common to have such severe facial muscle pain like this after having lengthy dental work?  I don't know what else to do.  My face just hurts really bad.  I'll probably go to another dentist for a second opinion, but this is really disturbing.  Thanks in advance for your help.

[mike1105]

Indeed it sounds to me like your TMJ has been "sprained" from staying open too long. I would also say that having 8 fillings done in one visit is alot.--possibly too much. It is very difficult to get the bite correct after restoring so many teeth in one visit, and having a bite be off for even a few days can exacerbate or even cause TMJ probloems. what was the rush to work on so many teeth for such a long time in one visit????

What I also do not understand is why you were prescribed an antibiotic if the dentist found no evidence of infection anywhere? It seems ludicrous to me. what was she hoping to accomplish with that?

I would be inclined to treat your problem as you would a sore shoulder or knee-- antiinflammatories, massage of the muscles of the jopint (inside and outside the mouth) soft diet, ice. I would also see another dentist to show you how to do these things and confirm the TMJ musculature as the cause of the problem if your current dentist is of no help. I'd also avoid such long visits in the future. You should also send a letter to your dentist that states that you have these problems now and that you did not have them before this dental visit. You should also get a copy of your dental records and especially the medical history form you filled out in this office which documents this (if indeed it is true) in case this does not resolve easily or quickly or you have ongoing problems and need an atty.

[hculb]

Wow! Thanks so much for the info.  I questioned if it was ok to do all the fillings in one visit and the dentist said it was fine, but when she got in there a couple of them were really deep.  I didn't know any better. I already have anxiety about going to the dentist, which is why I hadn't been for so long and ended up with so many cavities.  This really didn't help ease my anxiety.  I have been treating the pain like a sprain, and it seems to be somewhat better with fewer spasms (I guess that's what it is when it flares up).  I will definitely be letting my dentist know how upsetting this has been and will probably not return there.  Thanks again for all your advice.