I don’t know what to do. I went to an emergency dentist because of tooth pain. He decided I needed a root canal, which I agreed to. However, it’s a month later and it still hurts. I went back to see him. He did an x-ray and said nothing is wrong. I insisted I was in pain and he suggested I see a neurologist. Can you believe that?

Abbey – Baltimore

Abbey,

It might not be that the emergency dentist thinks you’re crazy, though certainly his chairside manner needs some work.

It might be that he thinks you have some nerve damage. A neurologist could help determine that. However, before you do that I’d take two other steps.

First, get a second opinion. It may be that this dentist missed something. It’s common for a root canal treatment to need more than one go. Have your regular dentist take a look to make sure the emergency dentist didn’t miss anything.

The next thing I would do before seeing a neurologist is to see your primary care physician. Your sinuses are very close to the roots of your teeth. It’s possible you have sinusitis and the pain is referring to your teeth.

If neither of those reveal anything then a neurologist might be your next visit.

Hope this puts your mind at ease.

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