Pocket Pairs and multiple players

I held TT last night and raised the pot limit. 4 people called. The flop came three cards 9 and under and I bet the pot again -- this time around $50 -- One guy came back and forced me all in. Turned out that he had pocket 99 and flopped a set. It's so hard to play 4 players with a pocket pair. 3 people are gunning. Had an overcard flopped I would have tried a token bet and folded to any action. But with an overpair I had no choice but to go down in flames.