There is just no way to know what might be happening without seeing you. This type of pain can be from a tooth, multiple teeth, or something other than teeth - such as muscle pain masquerading as tooth pain. Determining the source of the symptoms can be a lot more complicated than one might think. If you have not already done so, go back to your original dentist and see if she can help. Otherwise, you should see someone who is knowledgeable about orofacial pain. However, this area of care is fraught with dogma and belief systems unsupported by science, so if anyone advises you to have extensive bite adjustment, multiple dental restorations, bite repositioning, or surgery, I would seek a second qualified opinion. If your dentist is not able to help you, see if she can refer you to someone with a good reputation for care of orofacial pain or TMD problems. You can also check the websites for the American Academy of Orofacial Pain (AAOFP) and the American Academy of Oral Medicine (AAOM) for member dentists in your area, because often the members of these organizations have advanced training in these problems. Good luck.

Unfortunately, "grinding all your back teeth" to "adjust your bite" was not only suspect, but also particularly unwise and aggressive. Recommendations to simply "see a dentist"who may recommend treatment such as that described) puts an unwise amount of faith in a provider completely unknown to your dentist. And all manner of issues with a new restoration in a tooth--"high" occlusion, dying nerve, periodontal disease, among others--mean the dentist who placed it, not someone else, needs to evaluate, treat or refer. And particularly as you were likely just a "geographical patient" out of the county (with poor to no followup for any treatment) this treatment was quite suspect. Find a new dentist.

The first dentist was correct in my opinion, and the second dentist was also trying to help--and needed more information about how the pain started and when.

Here is why: you had not problems with facial chronic pain before you had the filling done. It sounds to me that you may have had myofascial pain dysfunction, a muscle imbalance causing pain. Also, your "high" tooth may have been irritated.

If the second dentist wanted to maintain what we call "vertical dimension" of the occlusion in dentistry, this was to help you. If you had told the second dentist you were good before the filling was done, he/she may well have suggested the reduction of the high filling. In any case, it's your decision, and you seem to have had the correct answer all along, which is: grind down the filling to match your other teeth. This is the answer.

If the second dentist won't do that, then they may think you have loss of vertical dimension, which is a completely different topic, and one which has little to do with your high filling. In that case, you would have needed to see a different, third, dentist where you could get what you wanted done.

Of course there is another unmentioned thing: why was the filling high in the first place? In my practice we always check (with a checking carbon infused film) if a filling is high. Every time. That takes time, and protects you from what happened.

If the filling continues to be high, you might have increased problems, so it's best to act sooner than later.

It is very unfortunate you had to go through this. If they tried tried to adjust your bite by grinding healthy tooth structure away (enamel) and now the underlying layer of dentin is exposed, sensitive and pain can occur. You should contact your dentist in the U.S. and have an exam. Then from here they can come up with a treatment plan that can help correct this issue example getting other specialist involved. If your bite is incorrect you can have TMJ issues due to loss of posterior support of your teeth, Personally I feel terrible that you are going through this type of issue. But with a structural comprehensive treatment plan with a field of people working together, this issue can be resolved.

Sorry to hear that !

Once the tooth structure is removed, specially from all your back teeth, it can never put back on!

I find it strange that your problem was the new filling but the dentist adjusted ALL your back teeth! Does not sound right. See a prosthodontist or a reconstructive dentist to help you out, and do a complete evaluation and bite analysis! Even after that, I would go for a second opinion to confirm the diagnosis and the methodology of the desired treatment.

Get a lawyer.

The issue that you are bringing up for the discussion is broad, and there is a need for you to find a Dentist who has extensive knowledge in Bite problems and TMJ/Chronic pain management. It is almost impossible to advise anything else to do at this point. You will need to have your bite balanced and restored into stable relationship to support and comfort your masticatory muscles and TMJ function.

This sounds like it might be a little complicated. First I would return to the original dentist to see if she can help you. If not then you will need to go to a specialist. From your symptoms I would recommend a dentist who specializes in treating TMJ or bite problems and or some who works with patients with orofacial pain

If you were asymptomatic prior to the initial dental treatment (I'm obviously referring to "chronic pain") and the present symptomatology has been active for the past 3 months, I will suspect that you have MFPD syndrome (myo-fascial pain-dysfunction). This was also conveyed in the answers below. The specialist you are looking for is either a prosthodontist or an orthodontist. You may need the services of one or the other or both at this point in time. You should seek immediate care as long-standing untreated MFPD has a tendency to progressively involve the temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ).