Hi all. Has anyone had tooth pain caused by TN? I’ve seen loads about people who have had dental problems before diagnosis, but I seem to have the opposite.
I have TN on the left side, upper two branches, with a trigger point mid cheek; so far it’s been well controlled with carbamazepine, but seems to be getting worse. I have pain going around the eye with a tic on the eyelid, and for a while I’ve been getting sensitivity in one tooth - definitely to cold, and increasingly to heat, too. It’s only recently occurred to me that it’s the tooth immediately below my trigger point. Anyone else had the same problem? Was it related to the TN? And did you find anything to help?
The dentist has looked, and found nothing, but I’m due a check up in a week or two, and he’ll look again, just in case. I suppose at least if it is the tooth, it will be treatable - TN presumably less so…
My mom has TN-1. That’s how she started. Got her first flare under control and it came back a few times, then this third time she thought she had a really bad tooth for several months before they finally connected it to the TN-1, got her tegretol back on board and it has been confirmed it is not the tooth, it’s the TN-1. That said, you should confirm with your dentist it is not the tooth itself. Last thing you need is dental problems on top of it!
Thanks uweme. I’m suspecting it probably is TN pain, but I’ll ask the dentist next week, then if it isn’t the tooth, talk to the doctor about increasing the carbamazepine.
I’ve been very lucky so far, really - two attacks of TN1, then ongoing TN2 mostly controlled by the carbamazepine - pretty good compared to many of the people on here (tho I do have plenty of other things wrong as well!).
Mine started with tooth pain too- I had a filling in the tooth replaced as the dentist thought that was the problem but the pain worsened. I get pain in the other nerve branches too- that comes and goes, but the tooth pain is constant. My dentist checks it every time I go, and it’s always fine, but the last visit we realised it has moved to the tooth next to it. I have had surgery for Eagles Syndrome (elongated styloid bone in the neck which can cause TN), but still have the pain. Luckily the pain is pretty well controlled with Amitriptyline.
Hi there! My first TN attack started in one tooth and spread to the whole jawand then later became lightning strikes in my face. Now it’s under better “control” with meds but occassionally I will get breakthrough pain when sipping coffee etc and it’s still in the tooth/jaw area. I also get occassional numbness there, too.
I actually haven’t been to the dentist in a year because of it. I was initially diagnosed with TMJ and made this awful device to wear at night, which really magnified the pain. It did not help, obviously and 3 months later I got a TN diganosis
I’ve heard before about people starting with tooth pain and then discovering it was TN - sometimes after a lot of unnecessary dental work. Mine seems to be the other way around - I’ve had TN for several years now, and have only recently had tooth pain. Suppose the positive is that, having the TN diagnosis already, they’ll want to be very sure it is the tooth before trying any dental work!
I’m on carbamazepine for the TN, and on amitryptilene for something else, tho it may well be helping the TN too - ditto the B12 injections and the painkillers I take for other conditions - I have a bit of a collection (my repeat prescriptions list is currently 5 pages long…).
I had tooth pain before diagnosis. I even had two root canals. After the second root canal in one year and telling my dentist I had pain in yet another area she suggested I may have to have a third root canal. I knew this wasn’t normal so started getting other opinions until my own research led me to discover what I have. This is not uncommon unfortunately.
Thanks. Seeing the dentist on Tuesday, so I’ll see what he has to say.
I have had three lots of root canal myself (over several years), but in my case they were good old fashioned abscesses, the root canal sorted them, and the pain was nowhere near my subsequent TN - just unlucky, I guess.
I would try using sensitive tooth paste. My pain started after a filling but my teeth became sensitive in another area afterwards. After a year of suffering with hot and cold pain my dentist suggested any store brand sensitive toothpaste. The pain soon stopped and I use it everyday. Good luck
Saw the dentist yesterday. He thinks it probably is the TN, but has varnished the tooth and given me some sensitive toothpaste to try, just in case. No change so far. He did say both the varnish and the toothpaste would only work if I have something like a hairline crack in the enamel - neither should work for TN. Other than a possible hairline crack, the tooth is healthy - as were all the rest, so that’s good news.
Hi
Please let us know if it helped.i have an appointment with a dentist-just to go over everything all the specialists have done in the year-a whole year of this crap.I don’t know how people live 20 years and more with it and work.You guys are all heroes and warriors.
Well, still doesn’t seem to be doing anything so far. Both hot and cold setting things off - so it looks as if it is the TN, and the varnish and the sensitive toothpaste won’t help. Just ordered a TheraPearl face mask, to see if that will improve things - not necessarily the tooth pain, but the TN in general.
No, I don’t know how some people cope, either. I’m a few years in, but think I’ve been very lucky so far, responding well to the carbamazepine, only running into trouble more recently. Hope you get some time off, at least.