Pain when biting down, dentist says can't find the problem

[Jess150]

For about the past 7 months a tooth is causing me pain every time I eat when ever I bite down, making discovering the actual tooth causing the pain very difficult, as the pain disappears when I stop biting.
The dentist on 3 different visits (the last being 3 months ago) attempted to give me a filling on a lower sided tooth because of some slight staining, and then when I told them that I was almost certain that was not the cause of the pain, they told me they said it could possibly be a hairline fracture that cannot be located (including on x-ray) and were happy to leave it until it caused me constant pain.
I have heard that bonding could be used to seal the crack or that visual examinations and dye can reveal cracks, but my dentist did not offer those and seemingly wanted to be done with the problem quickly
I have been thinking of going to another dentist locally, but are there any other options? Could I ask to be referred through my GP that could do more scans or perhaps be more successful in tracking the problem down?

 

[Dr M]

Good day

Cracks can sometimes be very difficult to see on conventional x-rays. Sometimes they might be visible on a CBCT scan. It does sound like you have a fracture, because common signs of a possible crack is pain when biting down, with relief as pressure is released. In order to determine if bonding will fix the issue, the crack has to be located first. It then has to be determined how deep the crack goes. If the crack penetrates the pulpal floor, the tooth will need to be extracted. If it does not, it can sometimes be fixed with a filling with or without a root canal. You can ask the dentist to refer you for a cbct scan if he does not have access to one.