Please help! Dentist and neurologist conflict. I was diagnosed with ATN 3 yrs. ago by neurologist and Neurosurgeon. I've had 2 gamma knife surgeries. I take neuronton and trileptal. I have typical symptoms of ATN as well as typical TN1. When I bite down on food, I have a shock. My dentist had heart surgery 2 weeks ago. Went to his temporary replacement because I had pain on left side when I bit on food. This is opposite side of ATN. This dentist took a super dooper XRAY. New machine, takes whole mouth xray. He said I have 3 teeth that are infected and 1 that needs filling or root canal. He said he had treated many trigeminal cases. He said that I do not have TN, that the pain in my face is coming from my mouth and teeth. He said I also needed a hard night guard. This means $10000. I have decided to just pull the teeth. I still think I have TN although I could see the infection on the xray. Could I have just developed the tooth problem ? I didn't have it 3 yrs. ago when the pain started. Should I go ahead with the dental work and see what happens? The dentist also said there is no such thing as atypical TN. I feel sooo bad. Please give me input. I'm confused. My neurosurgeon told me last week to consider MVD or another gamma knife. Don't know what to do. I feel like giving up.
What a nightmare! This might sound simplistic, but why not have the neurologist take a look at the x-ray the dentist took (if that's possible).
I have not been officially diagnosed with TN, but I have frequent tooth pain (which usually goes away) and had x-rays done at the dentist's office yesterday after my cleaning. My teeth are fine.
Hopefully someone else on this site can give you better advice. In the meantime, hang in there!
This is just a personal opinion but I rather suspect that most dentists are in complete denial about TN. Mine actually laughed at me when I told him that I'd been diagnosed. Since most of us here seem to have developed it after a dental visit it's really not a stretch to work out why they're all putting up their hands and playing dumb.
Maybe you do have problems now but have them fixed as much as you can and they see where you are. It's just a shame that you have to go to a dentist for it
I'm so sorry this is happening to you. Have you had an MRI? That may show what may be causing your TN. I agree with the poster who said you should have your neurologist look at the x-ray.
My dentist doesn't quite get it when it comes to TN. He knows that I have TN and it was a visit to him that brought the pain back. I had gone years with no attacks. One time after that I went to him for an appointment but told him I should probably cancel as I was having pain in the teeth he was going to work on. He said, "Haven't you had that nerve removed yet?" YIKES!
Thank you everyone for your help. Even though I am in pain, I am thinking clearer today. I think I have both TN and infected teeth going on. I did not have the tooth problem when this started 3 yrs. ago. I am going to take care of teeth, (pull them, as they are in back). I do not want to spend money for root canals and crowns. I will have night guard made. My old dentist said to buy one from Wal-Mart. This dentist said I needed hard not soft nightguard. These teeth are not wisdom teeth. I don't believe everything this dentist told me. He said if you do not have shocks all the time, you do not have TN. He said there is no such thing as atypical TN. He said the eye and ear pain came from muscles and nerves being inflamed from tooth grinding. He said TN does not cause cheek pain. I just do not believe this. Don't you think Dentists and Neurosurgeons have been taught different things? My neurosurgeon is one of the best. I will run this by him. Again, thanks. Isn't this sight a life saver?
I'm sorry that you are dealing with this. This is just my opinion but I wouldn't let a dentist that doesn't even believe in ATN touch my teeth. I was told if I needed work done to only go to a specialist.
And on the night guard--what was his reasoning that you need one? Do you grind your teeth? I am asking because I was misdiagnosed with TMJ and bruxism three times by dentists. I have a night guard. It does nothing to help and it actually hurts my teeth to wear it.
And yes this site is a life saver! I would be completely lost without it.