I'm going through something similar (or rather have been for several years) and it is literally a pain. I have not eaten on the right side of my mouth in years and am now developing gum disease because eating helps naturally keep plaque off teeth. In the past year and a half I've probably been to the dentist 12 times. I've had all sorts of bite deprogrammers, re-programmers, devices that forced my front teeth forward, I've had my teeth drilled and re-shapen many times. I have TMJ and often my jaw locks shut or I have to purposefully move it in a jig-jag motion if I want to open it more than 1 inch. My dentist and I believe my problem stems from the two crowns I have on the right side, the very last teeth on the top and bottom are both crowned and they've never fit together right. I also had a huge overbite which exacerbated the problem but he's basically fixed that with all the other devices and re-shaping every tooth in my mouth. However the TMJ and the pain on that side are just as bad, in fact the pain trying to chew on that side is worse now that my jaws fit together better.
I'm torn between having him pull the bottom tooth and crown, or having him try to re-crown it. I don't want to lose the tooth completely but the crown is expensive for me even with decent dental insurance.
I hope you're able to find a solution. I don't think my case is as bad even though I've been dealing with this for about 6 years but I'm long past just being in denial about it or not caring anymore.
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