Is there anyone else who had dental work (in my case, a root canal) and had TN result from the dental work? At least, I know that I never had any pain or any complications of any kind until just after having a root canal.
Robyn,
I think I have heard of this happening. But someone here may correct me.
Liz
Hi Robyn,
Like Liz said - I have heard of situations where people stated their TN occured as a result of Dental work, then have also heard that Dental work may sometimes “trigger” TN for the first time in some people that were already either pre-disposed to getting it, or already have the arterial or vascular compression of the Trigeminal nerve. In the medical community, there is a great deal of debate over the issue when you read up on research regarding dental work and TN - so there are no definitive answers that I’ve learnt of as yet. So, I believe Dental work can cause or contribute to TN starting, but I’m not medically trained in any way shape or form - this is purely just an opinion.
In my case, I got the dental work done because I was having problems / pain in my teeth. That resulted in more pain and more dental work to where I ended up losing 5 teeth to extractions that were never actually needed, simply because no one thought I had TN as I was in my early 20’s at the time. TN simply didn’t exist for people my age at the time as far as Doctors or Dentists were concerned. Actually, I have met some Doctors now who still don’t believe it…
I’m sure also as Liz said - there will be a few people who may have other information to give you - once they read your query.
All the best at getting the answer you’re looking for! May I ask - purely out of curiousity, what reason was there for you getting a root canal? Did you have dental x-ray’s that showed a root canal was required?
Best wishes to you for many pain free days!
Kerry xx
Hi again Robyn,
I just want to add that I’m rather heavily medicated on both the TN meds & painkillers at present due to TN pain and the procedure I had to try and treat it just a few days ago. The anesthetic they used fully wore off day before yesterday and I’ve been suffering rather intense attacks as a result of the surgery itself, which happens apparently, doctor told me this would happen, that “sometimes” the pain can actually get worse after the procedure, before it gets better… 
bummer.
The reason I added this, is just in case I’ve sounded rude or anything, cause right now, I can’t tell if I’m saying the right thing or not.
Cheers ~ Kerry xx
Kerry, you didn’t sound rude at all! I’m just so angry right now that this has disrupted my life. I’m a single mom and an elementary school teacher. I’m having such a hard time just making it through the day. The meds make me lethargic and affect my memory. If one more family member tells me that I’d feel better if I went back to the gym, I think I’ll scream! I did see the xray so I needed the root canal. My MRI didn’t show any abnormalities. Actually, I went out with a dentist and he is the one who suggested that I mention TN as a possibility to my doctor (who subsequently sent me to a neurologist).
Many thanks to all who reply. I truly am appreciative. I’m scared of losing the ability to function as a good teacher. I already know I won’t be winning any mother of the year awards this year.
Kerry said:
Hi again Robyn,
I just want to add that I’m rather heavily medicated on both the TN meds & painkillers at present due to TN pain and the procedure I had to try and treat it just a few days ago. The anesthetic they used fully wore off day before yesterday and I’ve been suffering rather intense attacks as a result of the surgery itself, which happens apparently, doctor told me this would happen, that “sometimes” the pain can actually get worse after the procedure, before it gets better…bummer.
The reason I added this, is just in case I’ve sounded rude or anything, cause right now, I can’t tell if I’m saying the right thing or not.
Cheers ~ Kerry xx
Hi Robyn,
I actually went to 3 dentists after my teeth cleaning because I noticed that air conditioning seemed to be affecting my teeth. The first dentist did a root canal, but on the other side of the mouth. That was not fun, I still had pain. The other two said there’s nothing there. I had all the same pain I would normally have for a toothache, but there was already a crown there. It wasn’t cracked. They were endontists. I finally sought the advice of a dentist (friend of the family) who said I had tic deloureux / trigeminal neuralgia. He told me to go to a neurologist, which coincidentally I was for my migraines. Sorry to have such a long comment, but I do believe that dental work can affect the TN. I never had the pain till after I was getting my teeth worked on. The pain has always been it feels like coming through my teeth. Everything is connected I believe.
If you look at the below picture here - and look closely along the lower jaw at all the mini branches that come off the main branches of the Trigeminal nerve and how they run along and attach to the base of the lower teeth you can draw your own conclusions.
But just as a side note - an MRI will not always show a compression - you can ask many here who’ve had the MVD - a lot of them also had a clear MRI but where their surgeons found compression only on doing the actual surgery. The MRI is only done - to make certain that there isn’t a tumour pressing on the nerve or that MS is the culprit. There is no other reason - if the radiologist happens to see a compression also - then bonus points. But a compression can and does often still exist even if it does not show on any scans.
I’ll leave the rest up to you guys 
I have TN pains on lower left side. X-rays have shown a small cavity on the upper right side and I am afraid to have it fixed. I don’t want the novacaine to start causing pains on the right side. Any comments on this??
My neurologist said absolutely no dental work until I get to a point of managing the pain. I haven’t gotten there yet. You can get some temporary filling stuff from the drug store you can do yourself. I need another root canal next to the tooth i had my first root canal which started this for me. I’m very scared. The tooth is dead. I had it looked at and had zero pain when they touched the tooth, yet as soon as they tried to rinse my mouth out, I wanted (and almost did) scream out. I was told to only get dental care if it was an emergency .
Debi said:
I have TN pains on lower left side. X-rays have shown a small cavity on the upper right side and I am afraid to have it fixed. I don’t want the novacaine to start causing pains on the right side. Any comments on this??
Thanks for the info!!
There is a tip sheet on dental care - may try and get a new page started here to add information from everyone about tips on this area, as it is important for all of us to know and be able to use this kind of information - so Robyn, this was a great post to put up, thank you for doing that!
What I have learnt is when we are in a position to get the dental care as required - like you suggested Robyn, only doing it as necessary, when we are already in pain free time is great - here in australia some dentists do what is called sleep dentistry, where they use only a light kind of general anesthesia that puts you into a half sleep, not fully under - here it’s called twilight anesthesisa and it’s what they used on me when I had my PRF procedure. You are still able to communicate to the dentist, but you actually recall “nothing” whatsoever afterwards! I love it, because it works really well and you recover quickly, though you still need someone to drive you home afterwards.
Another point is that the dentists now have access to different local - you often have to phone ahead and ask for it to be used, because sometimes they stock it, and sometimes they don’t. What you have to ask for is a local that does not use epinephrine. Epinephrine is the component that can trigger TN in a person already with TN.
I hope that is helpful, I’ll find the tip sheet on dental care and add it here also.
TNA Tips for Keeping Dental work as painless as possible:
° Go to the dentist when you’re not hurting. Make sure your dentist knows you have TN so he or she will be flexible to schedule your appointments (maybe even on short notice) during periods when your pain goes into remission. This will also help the dental staff to understand in case you have to cancel in the event that your pain flares up right before an appointment.
° Be well medicated. If you don’t have remissions or must have dental work done during an active pain cycle, consult your doctor so you’re on an optimal dose of medicine. To prevent a breakthrough, your dentist may want to increase the dose of any TN medications you are taking for a day or so before and after the procedure. Also try to schedule your appointment during the time of day when you’re least likely to get pain or when your medication is at peak effectiveness (usually about one hour after taking a dose). Several hours before the procedure, take a pain-killing medication such as codeine. Take it again after the procedure. The goal is to have at least five hours after the procedure during which you’re pain free.
° Topical anesthetics. Most dental patients need numbing compounds mainly for tooth repairs, crown work, extractions and the like. However, even teeth-cleaning and exams may bring on pain for facial pain patients. Topical sprays or gels can be used to temporarily numb the gums.
° Touch the sensitive area last. If there’s a trigger zone that usually sets off the pain, ask the dentist or hygienist to examine and clean everything else first.
° Switch local anesthetics. If you need treatment, discuss with your dentist the type of anesthetic to be used. Ask your dentist to use Mepivacaine 3% or Carbocaine 3%, neither of which contains preservatives or a vasoconstrictor. You may want to ask in advance, because the average dentist doesn’t keep this particular drug in stock.
° Epinephrine is a vasoconstrictor; it’s sometimes added to local anesthetics to prolong their numbing effect. Epinephrine can trigger nerve pain, especially in cases of trauma-induced TN. In these cases, ask your dentist not to inject a vasoconstrictor with local anesthetics in the area of nerve damage.
° Consider the injection point. Ask the dentist if possible to inject the local anesthetic at a site as far as possible from known, active TN trigger points.
° A knockout. If all else fails and you absolutely need dental work, discuss the possibility of a general anesthetic (either IV or inhaled) to put you to sleep while the work is being done. This type of anesthesia can reduce emotional trauma.
Thank you so much for adding the tip sheet information!
Kerry said:
TNA Tips for Keeping Dental work as painless as possible:
° Go to the dentist when you’re not hurting. Make sure your dentist knows you have TN so he or she will be flexible to schedule your appointments (maybe even on short notice) during periods when your pain goes into remission. This will also help the dental staff to understand in case you have to cancel in the event that your pain flares up right before an appointment.° Be well medicated. If you don’t have remissions or must have dental work done during an active pain cycle, consult your doctor so you’re on an optimal dose of medicine. To prevent a breakthrough, your dentist may want to increase the dose of any TN medications you are taking for a day or so before and after the procedure. Also try to schedule your appointment during the time of day when you’re least likely to get pain or when your medication is at peak effectiveness (usually about one hour after taking a dose). Several hours before the procedure, take a pain-killing medication such as codeine. Take it again after the procedure. The goal is to have at least five hours after the procedure during which you’re pain free.
° Topical anesthetics. Most dental patients need numbing compounds mainly for tooth repairs, crown work, extractions and the like. However, even teeth-cleaning and exams may bring on pain for facial pain patients. Topical sprays or gels can be used to temporarily numb the gums.
° Touch the sensitive area last. If there’s a trigger zone that usually sets off the pain, ask the dentist or hygienist to examine and clean everything else first.
° Switch local anesthetics. If you need treatment, discuss with your dentist the type of anesthetic to be used. Ask your dentist to use Mepivacaine 3% or Carbocaine 3%, neither of which contains preservatives or a vasoconstrictor. You may want to ask in advance, because the average dentist doesn’t keep this particular drug in stock.
° Epinephrine is a vasoconstrictor; it’s sometimes added to local anesthetics to prolong their numbing effect. Epinephrine can trigger nerve pain, especially in cases of trauma-induced TN. In these cases, ask your dentist not to inject a vasoconstrictor with local anesthetics in the area of nerve damage.
° Consider the injection point. Ask the dentist if possible to inject the local anesthetic at a site as far as possible from known, active TN trigger points.
° A knockout. If all else fails and you absolutely need dental work, discuss the possibility of a general anesthetic (either IV or inhaled) to put you to sleep while the work is being done. This type of anesthesia can reduce emotional trauma.
Sabrina,
I am so frightened to get to a point where I may have to stop teaching and go on disability. How will I support my children? I am terrified. My cognitive functioning is already affected for a period of time after taking my medication. Tonight , I had a commitment to play piano at a charity event for two hours. I delayed taking meds because I knew I couldn’t play once the meds hit me. Not good, the pain began to cut through and I barely made it through the event. I get so angry because I don’t thunk I would be experiencing any of this if it were not for a root canal in September.
Sabrina Ellis said:
I believe my tn came from the fact that I had an infection in one of my teeth on the left lower side and the infection got into the nerve.I thought I had an infection but my former dentist did several x-rays and told me everything was fine so I went for awhile without antibiotics,therefore the tn nerve was damaged.My opinion is that you possibly developed tn after your root canal because the nerve they inject novocaine into is the trigeminal nerve,I believe.Someone correct me if I am wrong.They call it the dental nerve but I believe I read it was actually the trigeminal nerve.It may not of been due to the root canal itself,but you needed the root canal because of an abcess/infection.I am on alot of neurontin and baclofen now so I may be totally confused but I believe this is what I put together from reading a dentists website.I wish he had been my dentist because I probably wouldn’t be in the pain I’m in now.I have been an RN for the past 22 years and am now on disability because I didn’t want to hurt a patient or make a serious medication error that I would regret.My medications have caused memory problems and my thought process is very slow.but I need them to control the pain.
In typical fashion, I ended up going to urgent care and they sent me to the ER yesterday. My face was swollen and hurting like heck. According to the doctor, I need to go to an oral surgeon and have them take a look at the other tooth (the one I didn’t have done because of the TN after the first root canal). I’m scared to death. The pain is awful. The dr did say not to go to a dentist, but instead see oral surgeons. I think that is good advice.
Sabrina Ellis said:
Hi Robin,I wanted to recommend a dentists website which I have found to be extremely helpful.It is www.doctorspiller.com He has 30 years of dental experience and explains things very well.I saw where u said u needed a root canal next to the other root canaled tooth.When u go to his site click on root canal on th left side of his page.He has 5 full pages answering any question u may have about a root canal.If u need a root canal,this may be one of the reasons u r having so much pain.Even though the tooth is dead all the nerves that go to your teeth lie in 2 masses called the ganglia.It is the ganglion that splits into 3 branches of the trigeminal nerve.The ganglia are located under your skull,one in front of each ear.I am not a neurologist but to advise u not to have any dental treatment until your pain was gone does not sound like good advice,when the source of your pain could possibly be from needing a root canal.I would recommend u c a good endodontist for another opinion.Even if it does not completely rid u of the pain it may help some.Hope u feel better soon and let me know how things go. Sabrina
robyn holder said:My neurologist said absolutely no dental work until I get to a point of managing the pain. I haven’t gotten there yet. You can get some temporary filling stuff from the drug store you can do yourself. I need another root canal next to the tooth i had my first root canal which started this for me. I’m very scared. The tooth is dead. I had it looked at and had zero pain when they touched the tooth, yet as soon as they tried to rinse my mouth out, I wanted (and almost did) scream out. I was told to only get dental care if it was an emergency .
Debi said:I have TN pains on lower left side. X-rays have shown a small cavity on the upper right side and I am afraid to have it fixed. I don’t want the novacaine to start causing pains on the right side. Any comments on this??
I’m terrified. I was in the ER Saturday with a swollen face - TN side, of course. I have an infection deep in a tooth and have to go to an oral/maxillofacial surgeon tomorrow. I’m scared to death. The last dental work I had resulted in the beginning of my TN journey. Aarrgghh. I think I’m going to have a panic attack.
Hello Robyn, I’m sorry to be reading of your problems with pain, work, visits to ER etc, I have been lurking a little but read your posts and really sympathise with you.
I had extensive dental problems in the late 80s after which I had an mvd - I did have a complication, see my profile for more info.
I thought to let you know that my neurologist asked an oral & maxillofacial surgeon to see me last November as I have a fairly complex history with tn. In a nutshell I was very concerned if I actually DID have any underlying dental problems hanging around (for example…such as Niko)
I immediately had a facial xray - called an orthopantomogram - this suggested no significant abnormalities although historically I do have several heavily filled teeth and root canals (I can remember once screaming in so much pain, I begged them to take a RC’d tooth out) but that’s a different story!
Anyway, I then had a bit splint to unload the muscles of mastication to remove that from the equation also, this was a disaster for me - great!
Over Christmas & the NY I was still in terrible tn pain so he (the O & MF surgeon) injected Marcain to the left orbital nerve which succeeded in getting rid of the breakthru pain. In view of this in March I decided to have a try at cryotherapy, the implications being that the pain will not return until the nerve regains sensation. This is temporary as such, but it’s now 7 weeks and I’ve been able to have a well earned break.
That’s my story, but I thought to share with you as my oral & maxillofacial surgeon working alongside my neurologist has been able to help me when I felt that all was lost. Good luck, I hope that your appointment goes well and that you are able to have some relief soon,
Lyn x
Thank you, everyone. The visit to the oral/maxillofacial surgeon went well. Although he did try to disprove my TN diagnosis. He said it was a common misdiagnosis. I’m sure you’ve all experienced naysayers before. Long story short…I need another root canal and am headed to an endodontist tomorrow (insert slight panic attack here) I will let you know how it goes. I feel like I’m letting my students down by taking time off of work right now when we have so much left to cover.
Lyn said:
Hello Robyn, I’m sorry to be reading of your problems with pain, work, visits to ER etc, I have been lurking a little but read your posts and really sympathise with you.
I had extensive dental problems in the late 80s after which I had an mvd - I did have a complication, see my profile for more info.I thought to let you know that my neurologist asked an oral & maxillofacial surgeon to see me last November as I have a fairly complex history with tn. In a nutshell I was very concerned if I actually DID have any underlying dental problems hanging around (for example…such as Niko)
I immediately had a facial xray - called an orthopantomogram - this suggested no significant abnormalities although historically I do have several heavily filled teeth and root canals (I can remember once screaming in so much pain, I begged them to take a RC’d tooth out) but that’s a different story!
Anyway, I then had a bit splint to unload the muscles of mastication to remove that from the equation also, this was a disaster for me - great!
Over Christmas & the NY I was still in terrible tn pain so he (the O & MF surgeon) injected Marcain to the left orbital nerve which succeeded in getting rid of the breakthru pain. In view of this in March I decided to have a try at cryotherapy, the implications being that the pain will not return until the nerve regains sensation. This is temporary as such, but it’s now 7 weeks and I’ve been able to have a well earned break.
That’s my story, but I thought to share with you as my oral & maxillofacial surgeon working alongside my neurologist has been able to help me when I felt that all was lost. Good luck, I hope that your appointment goes well and that you are able to have some relief soon,
Lyn x
hi … I have failed TN on my left side and now it effects the right also and can not have any dental work done unless under a general anesthetic. Even then most the times nothing is straight forward … I always have complications and its always a total pain in the ass. After any thing im in so much pain after words which can last for days even weeks So i just think its a right or passage im sorry to say … Peace and love… always…
Well, the root canals are over and done with. I haven’t had a great deal of pain, but I think it’s because I’ve been taking so much med. As well as taking percocet whenever I even start to hurt. My pain threshold is pretty high, so who knows! My face continued to swell on the TN side. As the swelling starts, so does that familiar ache which begins deep in my ear. It always fortells the attack…yet the meds seem to be keeping things in check. I know how lucky i am. I’m so darn paranoid… Always waiting for it to get bad. I know it’s coming- just don’t know when. I’m sure y’all can relate. On a side note- it’s really irritating how all ofvthe dental people want to disprove that I have TN. According to them… It’s very overdiagnosed. Strange then, that the only people I know who have this are on this site… Hmmmm.
claire said:
hi … I have failed TN on my left side and now it effects the right also and can not have any dental work done unless under a general anesthetic. Even then most the times nothing is straight forward … I always have complications and its always a total pain in the ass. After any thing im in so much pain after words which can last for days even weeks So i just think its a right or passage im sorry to say … Peace and love… always…