Hi - I'm 50 years old. Last month one of my bottom canines suddenly
became both pressure & temperature sensitive. The temperature
sensitivity was the bigger problem.  That tooth had no prior history,
except for a small fililng in front for decay, about a year ago. The
endodontist determined it was probably dead, and did a root canal and
found pus. He left it open for a week, and I had no unusual pain, so
he finished the root canal.

I decided to wait a while before going back to my regular dentist to
get a permanent filling Sure enough, a week later, the tooth became
pressure sensitive.  New xrays showed nothing, except that the root
canal looked ok. The gums don't hurt, and look fine. The endo decided
I should wait a month before trying anything else. He also didn't
think that getting a permanent filling would help, because it seemed
pretty well covered to him. I don't wake up in any pain, so I'm not
grinding it at night.

My question is, should I be trying anti-inflammatories, or something
to reduce the inflammation?  I tried advil for about 24 hours, and
that didn't seem to help, but perhaps I should try it longer? Or would
another med be better? I've switched to tylenol, which helps a bit
with the pain, but that won't get rid of any inflammation  Also, is a
month too long to wait? Do problems like this ever take such a long
time before going away on their own?  If anything, a week after seeing
the endo, the pain seems to be even more constant than ever.  Thanks.
- Mark