Have TN, but might have tooth abscess also how do you know?
Posted , 6 users are following.
I was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia three months ago after having two unnecessary root canals and one of those teeth removed. All of my pain has been in my upper jaw. I’ve been using gabapentin, baclofen and methadone as well as seeing a pain specialist for nerve blocks. I have MS and my TN is atypical because I have a constant aching pain as well as a shooting pain that was happening almost a hundred times a day for about two minutes at a time. It felt like someone was taking a screwdriver and jamming it into my gums as far as they could go and turning it around and around. But the medication really helped as well as the pain blocks and I even had a heavenly if brief period of remissio for six days. Right now I’m very confused.
The pain came back very bad about a week ago, back to about a 7 level. But just in the last three days or so I’ve been having pain in my lower right molar. I’m so confused. I don’t know if it’s my tooth or my TN. I don’t know what to do. When I went to the dentist and endodontist in November, they both were a little unsure it was my teeth but I do have a lot of issues with my teeth so they went ahead and did the work.
Does anyone have this problem? Where they don’t know if it is TN or actually their teeth? Everything so far has been in my upper right jaw so why would it suddenly start being in my lower right? Also if I push on the tooth it hurts.
I know. I know. Don’t push on the tooth then, I haven’t been doing it on purpose but if I eat on it or accidentally brush my tongue against it, it hurts. I don’t know what to do.
I am, of course, going to go to the dentist to see if he sees something for sure, but I’m just wondering how people handle this issue. Sometimes TN can trick us and feel like our teeth. How do we know?
Anyone have a good experience with this?
Thank you.
2 likes, 25 replies
cammyg anyazora
Posted
Hello,
As I have not yet been fully diagnosed with TN, though I have my first Neurology Appointment next week Tuesday, But my symptoms are of TN1 as the location of my flares only occur on the left side of my face, the source of the pain would be coming from my top left side of my jaw - my gums to be exact and so I do know how you feel and of how you mean, when you touch your gums and you feel pain, but the funny thing is with me..
There are times, I will touch my gums and it will be in excruciating pain and another time, I will touch it again and there is no pain at all which is out of it and because, now the flares are more frequent than it was a couple years ago when I first started to get little symptoms to warn me of what it may become.
As I did my very own personal research on Google and the first time, I told my doctor that it was TN and he disagreed and had me to take a visit to the dentist, had X-Rays and a CT Scan done on me and it was ruled out that the issue was not dental at all,
BUT... Of my 10 years of having dental procedures on and off, I personally do believe it, that may have played a factor of how thzones e TN flares may have been triggered and this is of my personal description of the pain I endure everyday non-stop:
Location: Maxiillary V2 Area: My facial zones area of trigger: Provides sensation to the cheek, upper lips, gum, roof of mouth, side of nose, upper teeth and lower eye lid.
* Uncontrollable facial twitching
* Short and mild attacks with periods of remission in between
* When the flare occurs, the pain comes in repeated waves from my gums up to my face and towards my eye
* Brief instances of intense pain
* I get an unbearable, heavy, dull, intense, cluster-like headache as it occurs when I wake up from sleeping
* Lying down is a no-no for me as it triggers my flare episodes
* Intermittent twinges of mild pain lasting for a few seconds to several minutes and will occur about 6-8 to 10x a day and when I was on Lyrica, it went down to 4-6x a day, but the pain was still there.
* Severe episodes of searing, shooting, jabbing pain that feel like electric shocks that usually awakens me during my night's sleep or even when I wake up early hours of the morning to go to the toilet.
* Sudden attacks of pain triggered by stimuli that are usually not painful such as touching the face, chewing, talking, brushing the teeth and even the brushing of cold air near the face area.
So, Yes! These are of my own personal symptoms of what I have learnt are of TN1 and now I need to have a MRI to fully see what is happening with my nerval system.
Other than that, I do apologise for going on n on.. I do hope it does get better for you and that you can find ways to get better as I hope to do the same with my well-being.
All the very best and hold your head high, by staying strong!!
anyazora cammyg
Posted
I’m sorry your pain is waking you up.
And I guess I should have been clearer it’s not the pain in my Lower tooth that is the main problem. I can handle the Magnitude of that. It is the worry that it is infected and will need a root canal bc the neurosurgeon, pain doctor and then the oral surgeon said DO NOT get an implant where you had the tooth taken out. The oral surgeon said no implants, no pulled teeth, no root canals.
So I just don’t know right now what is an actual tooth issue and what is my TN as I keep saying. Sorry for repeating myself. It’s just that when the pain was horrendous in November and it was happening around a hundred times a day, I thought it was my teeth.
Just still seems strange it would all of a sudden jump from, upper jaw to a localized place in lower jaw as well.
i did make a dental appt today. I won’t get anything done unless he can prove it and will probably get aa. Second opinion. But if he sees nothing then i guess I have my answer.
you guys are wonderful. Ty for all the responses.
cammyg anyazora
Posted
Thankyou😊 When I started getting warnings of what it became, I took frequent visits to the dentists as well thinking it was dental pain and this happened like 3 years ago and I could remember vaguely that it was Christmas day and I drove myself to the public ER in the city which was 40 minutes away. Even the dentists were stumped as they didn't know what was causing me to get this pain as they found no evidence on the x-ray results. After that, I went on my way.
After that period of myself exeriencing such pain, I had more dental procedures done on me by having a root canal but the pain was still there and the dentist suggested that it would be a nerval system issue not dental, from then on within the span of 3 years, that is when it all became clear of what I have as I know deeply in my heart, its what I truly have and of what the Neurologist will tell of me that I do have TN 1😢
vicki78970 anyazora
Posted
I also thought my pain was from my teeth. I had a root canal & then had 2 teeth pulled. BIG MISTAKE, for me any way! Warm salt water is a natural antibiotic. If you swish this around in your mouth if may help. Praying you get relief!
anyazora cammyg
Posted
anyazora vicki78970
Posted
vicki78970 anyazora
Posted
My pain I thought was coming from my teeth actually was TN pain, nothing to do with the teeth. As I suggested before try Turmeric 800 mg for pain during the day. It takes all pain away for 12-14 hours. I'll be praying for you.
anyazora vicki78970
Posted
Oh sorry yes the turmeric. I have some with 95% curcuminoids. It’s supposed to be a very good product. I will start that tonight. Thank you again. 💕
saaz79347 anyazora
Posted
Hi Anyazora,
Sorry to hear of what you are going through. My pain was very typical of what is described for TN sufferers, so i was able to get the TN diagnosis within 4 weeks of the first shooting electrical shocks. I got an MRI after week 2 and the neuro had confirmed a tortuous TN nerve and Basilar artery which was causing the problem. If you have had a root canal and they possibly damaged the nerve by accident, it can be tricky to get the diagnosis correct unless you go through a brain MRI ( that's just my opinion). The only fix for me was to go through MVD surgery. You can read about my experiences with it if you click on my name and read my previous posts. Hope this is at least somewhat helpful. Your neuro will be able to write up the correct MRI required to find TN.
anyazora saaz79347
Posted
My root canals (two) didn’t damage the nerve. The pain was there before the root canals and extraction. I just thought it was my teeth like many people seem to.
The neurosurgeon I saw specialized in MS patients who have TN. He told me the MVD surgery in MS patients is unfortunately not as effective but still definitely a possibility. I’m strongly considering it.
But I’m still left with the question of having pain in a tooth in the lower right jaw when all of my TN pain has been in my upper jaw. Is it TN? Is it an actual dental issue? How do I know? I’ve already spent $7000 on dental procedures that were unnecessary so I’m fearful. I don’t want to let a dental isssue linger. Yet I don’t want to have anymore unnecessary dental work done.
Would love to hear from someone with TN who had an actual dental issue as well and had it taken care of and how they could tell the difference.