Toothache - crown - no root canal

Here's the issue:
Right lower tooth second to back with newer porchelain crown (~6
months).

Severe tooth ache: Eating, biting, and pressing on it with finger
causes lots of pain. Not doing any thing to it, and it still throbs.
Cold doesn't seem to cause any more pain than no cold.
Advil helps slightly, vicoten es helps but not completely.
Biting down hurts, letting up doesn't hurt.

I had dental work done on the other side of the mouth Friday a
nd a bite block was used on the problem side. There was general
soreness that evening, the next day pain when eating and progressively
worst Sunday and Sunday night.

I am wondering if (biting) the bite block may have caused some trauma
to the tooth and hope that what ever happened it may just get better
w/o the need for a root canal as I under stand a tooth is better
w/ it's nerve / pulp then dead.

Can an x-ray reveal useful information on a tooth w/ a crown?

If the tooth is damaged, can a crown be removed w/o adversely
affecting the tooth or tissue?

What would be a good guestimate as to the problem and solution?

I would hope I could avoid a root canal for the health of the tooth
and of course the $ and fun procedure but am I being realistic that
the tooth may get better reasonably soon by itself or by another
procedure (such as crack repair or such)?

Thanks!

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Crowned tooth needs root canal?
    ... >Subject: Re: Crowned tooth needs root canal? ... and if a crown does not prevent its spread the ... >cracked molar where a dentist used a tooth sleuth to diagnose it. ... >thought only teeth with root canals were subject to root fracture and ...
    (sci.med.dentistry)
  • PING: NOYB Was: toothache after deep filling
    ... >the tooth never needed endo in the first place. ... >> Crown a tooth like this at your own jeopardy. ... and then reeval the pulpal health before final cementation. ...
    (sci.med.dentistry)
  • Anyone See the Body World exhibit?
    ... Three months ago my dentist told me that I had to have a crown fitted; ... for two months I had a severe tooth pain ... Should he have taken an X-Ray before suggesting fitting the crown? ...
    (sci.med.dentistry)
  • Re: was this the most conservative Cerec restoration?
    ... two cusps, extending about 2/3 of the way down. ... My dentist suggested a crown, but also said he could do a "cheapie" with amalgam. ... After checking in this newsgroup I decided that a gold onlay would be best, covering the cracked side as well as the entire top of the tooth. ... I had read on this newsgroup how some dentists prefer 'full cusp ...
    (sci.med.dentistry)
  • Re: was this the most conservative Cerec restoration?
    ... I had a crack in the lingual wall of the lower first molar between the two cusps, extending about 2/3 of the way down. ... My dentist suggested a crown, but also said he could do a "cheapie" with amalgam. ... After checking in this newsgroup I decided that a gold onlay would be best, covering the cracked side as well as the entire top of the tooth. ...
    (sci.med.dentistry)