Unexplained pain in my gum/face
Posted , 6 users are following.
Back in December I started getting regular pain in my gum on the top left side to the point that the pain was waking me up in the night. Often the pain spreads into my cheek and jaw. The pain can last up to an hour, even after taking painkillers. It comes back every few hours. My teeth felt fine and I couldn't pinpoint a particular spot that was hurting. My dentist took an X-ray and everything looked fine but he suggested changing an old filling. This didn't help so he referred me to the hospital. They also did an X-ray and suggested removing my wisdom tooth as it was sitting at a funny angle. It was removed three weeks ago and I am still experiencing the same pain, if anything, in the last few days it has gotten worse... more frequent and more intense. I have another appointment booked at the hospital but the doctor said at our previous meeting that if removing the wisdom tooth didn't work, there was nothing else he could do as he has no idea what is causing the pain. Does anyone have any suggestions of what this could be and what I should do next? I am losing sleep every single night due to the pain, so it is completely exhausting... thank you in advance....
0 likes, 11 replies
pammi77404 jennaexe
Posted
Dear jennaexe,
So sorry to hear of your pain and suffering,
Although I have not experienced gum pain, I have a friend who suffered a kind of a nerve pain in her jaw and travelling toward the ear. I will ask her as she is away travelling till Easter. Have you tried using clove oil on the gum.? It's a great pain killer for gums and teeth. The other thing I suggest is to frequently gargle with warm salt water and use a cotton wool soaked in clove oil and keep it to cover the area where the pain is. Salt works as an antiseptic.. hope you feel better soon.
jennaexe pammi77404
Posted
Hell of Pammi, thank you for your reply and sympathy :-)
I haven't tried putting anything on the gum yet as the dentist and doctor both said my gums are healthy - I have just taken paracetamol and ibuprofen to ease the pain. Do you think the clove oil will help if the pain is somewhere within the gum rather than the gum itself being sore?
Thank you!
amkoffee jennaexe
Posted
You don't describe the pain but there is something that it could be. It's called burning mouth syndrome. There are all different variations of how people suffer from it so don't be suprised if you don't fit the mold exactly. If that is what it is I'm am disappointed that your dentist didn't offer it as a suggestion. But I went through two dentists before I had an answer. Good luck to you.
jennaexe amkoffee
Posted
Hi Amkoffee, thank you for taking the time to reply to me. I have read a description of burning mouth syndrome and I don't think it is what I have. It isn't a burning sensation, more of an ache inside the gum that spreads to my cheek. It starts fairly dull and then grows in intensity. But thank you for your help!
amkoffee jennaexe
Posted
Well that's probably just as well since there is no cure for it. I hope you find what the problem is soon. Good luck to you. I live with chronic pain and I know how awful it can be and how frustrating it is to not know the cause.
jennaexe amkoffee
Posted
amkoffee jennaexe
Posted
That's where you have to be your own advocate. Get pushy. Do you have insurance or live in a country that has free medical care? I hope so because this may be costly to figure out. And don't stop at this site. Do a lot of google searching. The Mayo Clinic is a trust worthy site to search. It's one I like. Good luck to you.
jean34835 jennaexe
Posted
Hi I am experiencing the exact same issues for one week now! I went to both my dentist and my root canal doctor, both couldn't find any underlying reason for this intense pain, that comes when I'm lying down . I've been put on a high dosage of antibiotics in the event it's a bacterial infection. I've been on them now for three full days (two pills 4X day) with no relief. I'm worried and searched the net and couldn't find anything remotely similar to my experience except for yours. I plan to see an ENT specialist next. I want a sono or scan to see if there is something that might show where this extremely intense pain is coming from. Please let me know how you are doing and of you were given a diagnosis or anything to help relieve the pain. Advil can't compete with this type of pain
Gwenn1120 jean34835
Posted
HI Jennaexe and Jean,
Hopefully you bith have sorted your health issues by now.
But juat in case I'll write of my experience. I had very symptoms experience to you. I went to three Doctors and two dentists. No luck!
I attended a third Dentist who was was the one who diagnosed me with atypical neuralgia. (Cause unknown)
I was successfully treated with medication that targets nerve pain.
After a ten year period of no problems it has struck again (painful, but not as bad as before) so if it continues Ill have to revisit the medication route again.
jean34835 jennaexe
Posted
I too was just diagnosed with atypical neurolgia and have been on meds for two months now and the pain has subsided. My question to you is were you on the meds for ten years straight? I don't want to have to take these meds forever, weight gain of 6 pounds since i started 2 months ago. thank you
Lolabel jennaexe
Posted
I have suffered for nearly 20 years with facial pain and been prescribed numerous meds all antidepressants with have had a limited time when they eventually lose their effectiveness. It is a monster. My pain started when I received root treatment which went wrong. I can only eat on one side of my mouth with continual pain in my upper jaw radiating to my eye ~ its been a nightmare. I wish I could give you some hope, I am about to try acupuncture as a last resort. I feel there is very little quality of life. I hope the health professionals research more into this in the future and gives some hope.