I definitely have TN and luckily tegretol and gabapentin work for me but when I have problems with my teeth I go against dentist recommendation and wait until they are on there way out and get them extracted because any other kind of tooth work sends me on a terrible flare up. Having missing teeth but no TN is a blessing for me compared to TN. Each of us has to make our own informed decision. Good luck, Krista
Okay, so here is the latest in this convoluted saga:
Got the CBCT scan back and I’m not really clear on what it showed, but the endodontist sent me to a periodontist, and everyone agreed that we should try remaking the crown. The crown margin was very irritated and apparently the gap had grown over time (crown is about 25 years old). But no signs of infection so I assumed the root canal was off the table. (Pimple was apparently my imagination running wild).
I had the old crown pulled and a temporary put on (temporary is very well done). Of course I had fantasies of the anesthetic wearing off, and being “normal” and pain free, but that was not to be. I still have quite a bit of irritation and pain, though it does seem a bit better. One thing that is very helpful is that I can calm it down at night again.
I just came from the endodontist. He did the endo-ice test once more and there was no response at all from the tooth this time. I actually thought he was testing the tooth next to it that was root-canaled. He wants me to come back in a couple of days, pull the temporary crown off, and test the tooth directly. If there is still no response, then I will be getting a root canal.
I feel very fortunate to have an endodontist that is so thorough, competent and caring. Having professionals like that on the case makes everything much more bearable.
My mom also has TN. She has learnt a lot about her condition through me because there is so much more information available to us. She said to me that now she knows why she had so much dental work done–extractions and root canals all on her left side teeth over the years. She said now she knows it was TN…long story short. Please do not have dental work done unless there is clear physical evidence of a problem. If I had every tooth removed that hurt I wouldn’t have any left. I did have an unnecessary root canal in one tooth and it hurt every single day for three years.