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Do I really have TN?

Posted , 4 users are following.

ellie1857
ellie1857

I was diagnosed with TN last November after weeks of extreme jaw pain.  I countinually compared it to abscessed tooth pain but I could not locate pain to one tooth.  I have been on several drugs.  Lyrica is my current medication.  Only 75mg a day.  I have recently had aching jaw pain.  I assumed the pain was TN and it wasn't severe so I just dealt with it.  I finally went to the dentist and my rear molar is completely cracked in half.  The crack is so large I can get my fingernail in it.  I am having it extracted next week.  So...my question is...has this tooth been my problem all along?  I have never had the pain that most people here talk about since my initial pain episode.  I am stopping all drugs once the tooth is healed because I need to know if it is truly TN or just a long term tooth problem that has finally surfaced.

Has anyone had a similiar experience?

1 like, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • Kay_Kelsey
    Kay_Kelsey ellie1857

    Posted

    Most of us have had the opposite problem.  Dentists wanting to do voluntary root canals because that "might" be the problem.  You'll know once your tooth is fixed.  Either the pain will stop or it won't.  One telltale sign I always had was that the gum area around the tooth I had "problems" with always felt swollen when it was painful.  One doctor finally explained that the gum felt swollen the same way your face feels swollen when you have had novacaine.  That was when I switched to a neurologist and he knew immediately what my problem was (after three years of dentists, ent doctors, and eye doctors.)  Of course he discharged me when I refused to go on gabapentin but eventually found a good neurologist who has been treating me for over 10 years now.

  • marlene36342
    marlene36342 ellie1857

    Posted

    Hi Ellie - I may be of some help for you.  I ws diagnosed with TN in 2006 and the ongoing pain started in one tooth and believe me, that pain was extreme, I immediately made an appointment with my dentist - he examined my tooth along with x-rays.  The pain would stop for a bit and then start again.  I then went back to my dentist thinking he me made a mistake.  This time he had done a full x-ray of my mouth (a panographic xray) which x-rays all your teeth at one time.  Same result - no problem with my teeth.  At this point with you, have your extraction and if your high pain still exists - then, most probably, you do have a problem.  Sorry, for not being much help, but take care of your tooth first, then you will be able to determine that you do have another issue.  Please contact me, if you have any questions or concerns.  Also of note here, in my case - even when I felt the pain in one tooth, the pain can radiate from another tooth.  Ellie, once your dental work is finished, believe me you will know that something is terribly wrong.  Best wishes.
  • alicot
    alicot ellie1857

    Posted

    Good idea. If it isn't TN you can get off the drugs, yay! And lead a normal life. Here's hoping!

     

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