As many of the members know, I do a lot of background research on TN and face pain, in medical literature. The following reference is one of the best I have seen for dentists and oro-facial pain specialists. This material is copyrighted so I cannot post it here in entirety. You can likely get a copy by going to the reference desk of any University library and requesting a copy by inter-library loan from a med school library. If you've had problems getting a definitive diagnosis from a dental specialist, I believe this may be very helpful.
Although this article begins with an in-depth case study on an individual patient, it illustrates richly the deficiencies of training that many dentists bring to neurological face pain. It also reports results of a wide ranging review of dental literature, to investigate the reliability of signs and symptoms that may be used in diagnosis of classic or atypical trigeminal neuralgia.
I wish all of our members a happy (or happier) and less painful New Year.
I have been suffering from TN for over 2 years. My facial pain started shortly after I had a dental implant. It took 2 years before I was diagnosed with TN. I am on heavy doses of medication. Most of the time I feel like a zombie. My pain doctor keeps treating me for migraine headaches. I know, it’s from my implants and I don’t know what to do?
I had quite a bit of dental work (root canals, crowns, etc.) done just prior to the full blown onset of my trigeminal neuralgia. For years, I thought the pain was from nerve damage caused by the dental work and refused to consider MVD. Eventually, the pain became so severe and the meds quite working so my neurologist convinced me that it was time for the MVD. Turns out, I really did have an artery wrapped around the nerve and it was making a deep cut. I was so surprised and happy when I woke up from surgery completely pain free.
I recently had five implants done to replace the healthy teeth I lost during my long-lived TN diagnosis. I was very nervous about "reawakening" the pain. I made sure the oral surgeon was not going anywhere near the nerve. He assured me that the implants don't come in contact with the nerve. I am not having any complications or pain from the implants, which I had done last July.
The reason I'm telling you this is that I suffered way longer than I had to because I thought nothing could be done to help me. While it's possible that your nerve damage came from the dental implants, please don't rule out the fact that you could have a classic case of TN. If you are not already seeing a neurologist, you need to find a good one who is very familiar with TN. General practitioners don't usually know how to handle this and often treat it as migraines, TMJ, or cluster headaches - none of which comes close to TN pain. I wish you the best and hope you find relief soon.
Kathy Brown
Sharon Donato said:
I have been suffering from TN for over 2 years. My facial pain started shortly after I had a dental implant. It took 2 years before I was diagnosed with TN. I am on heavy doses of medication. Most of the time I feel like a zombie. My pain doctor keeps treating me for migraine headaches. I know, it's from my implants and I don't know what to do?
I have been to a Neuro, he diagnosed me with TN immediately. He put me on meds that helped me for awhile and then stopped working. He referred me to a pain clinic where I am currently being treated. My doctor is trying to get the right combination of meds, plus Botox to stop the pain. It’s been 3 weeks since my Botox treatment. So far, I am feeling a little, not pain free.
I am so sorry Sharon for your pain. My doses of medicine are not "heavy" but constant. So much so that I couldn't keep track and have to write them down. One of my greatest side effects from my meds are loss of memory. Within seconds I forget things. It's awful. I wanted to address the dentist. I last went for a cleaning just about 6 weeks ago. They are always very gentle, knowing my condition and also the fact that I take very good care of my teeth. Within hours I was at my worst. It lasted 2 1/2 weeks! I spent a lot of time in bed, increasing my meds and swearing I will never go to the dentist again!
Sharon Donato said:
I have been suffering from TN for over 2 years. My facial pain started shortly after I had a dental implant. It took 2 years before I was diagnosed with TN. I am on heavy doses of medication. Most of the time I feel like a zombie. My pain doctor keeps treating me for migraine headaches. I know, it's from my implants and I don't know what to do?
I needed 2 teeth cut out. My Primary Dr. Refused to sign the ok to have it done. He is afraid it would affect my past surgery on the trigeminal nerve. Is there anything I can say it will be safe. ? I guess since i had a mini stroke during the surgery. I have alot wrong with me. I was a patient at MDAderson Cancer Center , but i went ther for NF1 adult unit. I am also a onset Alzhers. So forget me of my spelling everyone.
Kate, your primary doctor's concern about dental surgery is very likely wider than just the possibility of affecting the trigeminal nerve. Your medical history would be concerning, particularly as you have had a small stroke during a previous surgery.