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Atypical Odontalgia

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adam_11852
adam_11852

Hi guys,

For the past two months I've suffered with pain which seemed to stem from a crown I had previously had a crown and two root canals on. I also had a strange dull sensastion across my jaw and cheek, sometimes turning into tingling. After 5 dentists, and seemingly no explanation why I was having the pain, my current (excellent) dentist now strongly believes it's a form of neuralgia. I had the offending tooth taken out so the tooth pain has gone but I'm still left with the sensation across my cheek and jaw, which sometimes also manifests itself as slight sensitivity in surrounding teeth. I don't have the sharp, shooting pain associated with TN however. It's more a constant dull ache.

Any others out there in the same boat with me and can share advice etc.? I'm a Brit currently living in Tanzania, so not a lot of specialists out here!

Cheers,

Adam

2 likes, 115 replies

115 Replies

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  • maureen_25289
    maureen_25289 adam_11852

    Posted

    My AO never goes away except when i sleep which is a blessing but hard to contend with during daytime. It is tooth pain as i tortured my dentist at first I was sent from dentist to doctor to and fro and neither wanting or knew what it was. Was eventually sent to school of dentistry was onky then was it diagnosed as AO was told that Ampitripyline was top med unfortunately didnt have any effect for me.

    So it was back to the Oragel and chewing gum both help at times giving a little respite but not for very long.

  • james76097
    james76097 adam_11852

    Posted

    Does anyone have pain in head behind ear, earache and sharp eye pain as well as toothache pain? Diagnosed with AO over 1 year ago after seeing many doctors and dentists and having tooth extractions over a period of 4 years. As yet I have found nothing that relieves the pain.
    • maureen_25289
      maureen_25289 james76097

      Posted

      It's crazy that there's no help with this pain in sat here putting this post together while my tooth pain is driving me bonkers. I'm just about able to tolerate it during daytime with help of chewing gum which i hate and Oragel but it's much harder to bear at night. Need to try getting to bed as that's only place when i get over it goes if only it'd stay away. It's over 10yrs since it started with me by same as most had deep root filling done..later I got dentist to remove a back tooth then bit later the next one also she refused to remove anymore said they were good healthy teeth and it just hopped into next one anyway. Had Radiofrequency carried out but wrong nerve was burnt off so that didnt help. Have never been given a diagnosis of it had to do that myself online was only reading bout it realized thsts exactly what i have AO. I have the unresisting method og scringging my bottom tooth into it on top it doesnt help with pain in fact tends to increase it but its something i cant prevent doing.

      Do any of you fellow sufferers find they do this im very curious to know thst please?

      Thank you

  • laura79210
    laura79210 adam_11852

    Posted

    I was diagnosed with AO in 2011 after a dental skin graft on the roof of my mouth. I was so so miserable and on pain meds to just function. A few weeks later, I was going to Paris on a trip and I decided to take Prilosec to combat all the different foods I would be eating. Within a week, I was able to get off all pain meds! I take one Omeprazole delayed-release tablet 20mg every other day and I am pain free. Because I am cheap, I tried the generic CVS brand and it didn't work. I don't take any other medications and I don't have any prescriptions. If I could go off this pill, I would, but the pain returns instantly. It took a week or so before it kicked in. I hope this is helpful to others.

  • Clarissa49
    Clarissa49 adam_11852

    Edited

    I know this is an old thread and I don't know if anyone will even see my reply but if you do please respond. I am not doing well in regards to pain. And right now we are in the middle of a pandemic.

    My situation is that most of my molars are very full of fillings however I never really get dental pain. Last summer an upper tooth was achy. I thought it was my premolar. When I would floss and pull out the floss it seemed that tooth hurt. I thought maybe it was cracked. I saw my dentist who saw a crack but removed the filling and said the crack stopped. He put a new filling in and said if it continues to hurt see an Endodontist.

    I went to the Endo about 4 times and was sent home because we could not pinpoint. Finally the pain got so bad I went back and suggested we do the root canal on the premolar. We did and it still hurt. So I went back and he cleaned that tooth two more times before completing it. I got the permanent crown and still in pain. Went back to the Endo and again we tested teeth with no sure answer. As the pain was getting severe we decided to root canal the tooth next to it. I am still in pain. The molar behind the second root canal tooth is cracked. I am wondering if it's that tooth and a bottom molar is sensitive to hot and cold and I wonder if it's that tooth and referred pain?

    I have a continuous sensation of varying levels of pain throughout the day. The two root canal teeth are achy and sometimes I feel a burn in the socket, and now the pain seems to be in the back top molar. My gum also hurts. I have Neurontin here, Amiltriptiline and for an emergency I also have tylenol with codine I am at a loss..... I feel like I just want to pull all the teeth on the upper left. As I sit here I am getting an intense ache that feels like it could cut loose into a violent pain. I don't know where to go from here. The pain lately has woken me up especially if i sleep on that side of my face. I fear if I do more root canals I will end up worse off. But I also fear that I could have a dying tooth and dental infection and not sure how to tell the difference. I feel like the boy who cried wolf... It is making me crazy.

    • laura79210
      laura79210 Clarissa49

      Edited

      your pain is not the same as mine but I know my solution is easy to try (see above) it took a few days to kick in, but one Prilosec a day erased my pain

    • janice91400
      janice91400 Clarissa49

      Posted

      Hello Adam,

      I have been with this nightmare for nearly three years now. IT HAS driven me crazy!!! IT began when all my teeth began to get sensitive. That summer I had terrible pains in my head., we were relocating, so I thought it to be stress. by August all my teeth ached and gums pained. I went to the dentist, she said trigeminal neuralgia. I then went to a Neurologist. Had and MRI, done. Nothing showed. DR, put me on gabapentine. no relief!! Couldnt take Amtriptyline, or Nortriptyline. Now on Lyrica. It helps but doesnt take nearly all the pain away. I can hardly walk. have nerve damage from shingles in left leg. the neurological meds, affect my movements. In the end I asked the Neurologist where to go from there. He said nothing. He said I have Phantom tooth pain!! The brain is giving the wrong signal to the Trigminol Nerve. My med, provider says I have Trigeminol Neuropathy. I had all my top teeth taken out, and two on the bottom. pain still there., also in my head . I got to the point of trying anything to stop the pain!!!!! It didnt work!!!!Dont do it!!!!!My dentist of more than twenty years was very angry with me. On days when any storm is coming Iam in terrible pain. ! The barometeter drops. The pain is very intense.I find that lying down quietly helps the nerve to calm down. As soon as my mind starts to work again the pain returns.

      I wish I had an answer for you. Ikeep looking myself. Have an MRI, at least then youll know if there are any compressions in the brain. ( blood vessels pushing against a nerve)

      God Bless You, Janice.

    • laura79210
      laura79210 janice91400

      Posted

      when i forget to take my Prilosec, all teeth hurt. I cant even think straight. ive been taking it for 9 years but i dont have to take it daily any more and generic brand didnt work before I discovered the effectiveness of Prilosec I had all types of drugs that worked but had so many side effects

    • Clarissa49
      Clarissa49 laura79210

      Posted

      Laura what do you think it was with the prilosec easing the pain? I am very interested in trying this but wondering how or why it worked? What are your thoughts? Lastly thank GOD your pain has eased I am so happy for you! 😃

    • laura79210
      laura79210 Clarissa49

      Edited

      i wish I knew. My doctor and my pain doctor both contacted the manufacturer to report the findings. I also contacted the foremost researcher on AO so he could do his research. he said he works worh rats. I know the offbrand didn’t work so it has to be something in the proprietary blend of Prilosec that is relieving my pain.

    • Clarissa49
      Clarissa49 laura79210

      Posted

      That's fascinating. I am absolutely going to try this I have nothing to lose. I did read that long term use can affect the kidney's. But it sounds like you are not on a super hefty dose?

      The way I am looking at this here is: I am at a point where the quality of life is gone. If an organ or part of my body has to suffer in order to get pain relief it 's worth the risk. I know that Amitriptiline comes with warnings of the heart and long QT syndrome however if it worked, I would stay on it. I have taken it and really not noticing much however I have an RX for Remeron which is in the same family as the Amil - it's a tricyclic antidepresant. That one does something from time to time. I don't know how, why or what but it helps on occasion. Thank you for mentioning the prilosec. I am going to get some.

    • Clarissa49
      Clarissa49 laura79210

      Posted

      Laurie,

      I did a little digging on Prilosec and nerve pain and found some promising info. It seems that its working for you and others as well. This is encouraging. I dug a pack out of the back of my medicine cabinet and I am going to start tonight. below is the link from the NIH research on Omeprazole the ingredient in prilosec and also an interesting quote from the study.

      " Considering these findings, we hypothesized that omeprazole should reduce the post-injury nerve damage and inhibit the development of nerve injury-related neuroinflammation and neuropathic pain. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of chronic oral administration of omeprazole employing the CCI-induced neuropathic pain in rats."

      https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4951708/

    • laura79210
      laura79210 Clarissa49

      Posted

      True. However, the research back in 2011 was that low dose long term wasnt studied with enough data but liver or kidney damage was being evaluated But the pain specialist and my MD did submit the info I provided back in 2011 because I went from unbearable pain to no pain. i had LOTS of notes. I took Prilosec daily for a couple years then every 36 hours, then every other day, then every couple days and now, only when I feel the pain start...

    • laura79210
      laura79210 Clarissa49

      Posted

      excellent! I got an email last year from a researcher who said the rats were being used to test the theory

    • Krit138
      Krit138 laura79210

      Posted

      I have delayed release Omeprazole, but not Prilosec. Desperate for relief now, so I will at least try it. I had complete pain relief for 6 years with only 15mg of imipramine twice a day, but the pain became medication resistant 3 years ago and now NO medications help the pain AT ALL. The Orofacial pain specialist and my neurologist both gave up on trying to help me, so I am on my own. thanks for the info!

    • Krit138
      Krit138 laura79210

      Edited

      Hi laura79210, I have a couple of questions about your Prilosec success. How long after you experienced AO (when it first started) did you start on Prilosec? I ask that because I have had AO since around 2006 and sometimes meds don't work if you've had it for a longer period of time. Second question: did your teeth pain initially get worse when first starting Prilosec? I took the generic omeprazole this morning and my pain is even worse than it has been (and it has been extremely bad). I know you said the generic didn't work for you, but just wanted to know if it (the generic) didn't change your pain or if it made it worse or if Prilosec initially made it worse before it got better. thanks!!!

    • Clarissa49
      Clarissa49 Krit138

      Posted

      I would also be interested in how long it took to kick in. I have the Prilosec here but it's expired. I still am wanting to try it until I can order some online.

    • laura79210
      laura79210 Clarissa49

      Posted

      Since the pill is time release if you dont feel relief after a week of pills, then it might not work

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