I know the old saying goes, “No pain, no gain.”  So, when I decided on some cosmetic dental work, I figured that a small amount of short-term pain would be worth the benefits of new, beautiful smile. Boy, was I wrong!

I went to Mexico to have lower crowns place as well as veneers on the front upper teeth. It was twelve crowns total and six veneers. While they look great, the problem is I am in so much pain. I’m not talking sore gums or tenderness, but rather extreme pain that radiates through my entire jaw. Plus, there’s one particular tooth that hurts so bad I can’t even bite down or chew soft foods like bread.  My dentist chalked it up to having so much work done at one time and basically said to take ibuprofen for a few weeks. As for the tooth, he said it may have high contact or need a root canal. I’ve been taking 800mg of ibuprofen around the clock, but I can’t keep doing it forever. Is this pain normal and if so, how much longer should it last?  — Mark

 

Mark,

Sorry to hear you’re dealing with so much pain. It’s definitely not normal! Most people can expect a day or two of tenderness and soreness after crowns and veneers, but if you’re having the pain you describe, there’s definitely something wrong.

Taking so much ibuprofen (3200 to 4000 mg per day) for an extended period of time can be damaging to your liver or your kidneys. If you check the maximum recommended dose, you’ll see that you are greatly exceeding it.

Here’s what you need to do first – find an American dentist and have them examine you immediately. Hopefully they can figure out what went wrong so you can get off of the ibuprofen. And if you do need that root canal, have it done here – not in Mexico – no matter how much money it could save you.

While most dentists in the U.S. are competent general dentists, only about half have the skills and capability to do a beautiful smile makeover. In Mexico, you are putting yourself at risk even  with basic general dental procedures, and if you’re lucky, you may find a small handful of dentists who can do good (not great) cosmetic procedures. Here’s to making some gains – without any more pain!

This blog is sponsored by AACD Accredited dentist, Dr. Stephen Doan. Find out more about the services he provides by visiting his La Jolla cosmetic dental website.