i do not have pain when eating or drinking cold, eating ice, hard, crunchy foods etc. i feel very fortunate that i am able to do these activities. i've been battling with doctors about is it TN or not TN; and today the subject of eating with no pain was used to try and disprove TN to me. this prompts me to ask: can anyone here also eat or drink (including cold) without pain?
vesper
I go through stages. I am affected in all three branches but can have times where my mouth or teeth do not hurt. Where do you normally have pain?
area behind very last back molar. apple of cheek. aching pain with no numbness.
Debbie said:
I go through stages. I am affected in all three branches but can have times where my mouth or teeth do not hurt. Where do you normally have pain?
When I had TN before my MVD, in 2007 I could eat and drink anything without problem hot or cold. This time since the TN returned in 2009 I can not eat on my left side at all, and I have to let drinks cool, cannot eat cold food. The TN though is completly different this time around. I started with TN in 1999 and it was 8 years before they operated as my MRI scan was clear, but when they did operate they found a bad compression, Mr Brydon the surgeon removed a blood vessel, it left me deaf but for 2 years I was pain free. In my mind if they had operated sooner it would not have been such a big operation, and I would have come out of it better. Because my MRI scan was clear and I could eat without any problems I think they doubted that I was in such pain. Professor Hawkins even told me one day "" We all have pain". That was when I asked for a second opinion and he transferred me to Mr. Brydon who operated very quickly. I used to eat ice cream all the time, I love it, can't touch it now. Margaret
At times, when I was heavily medicated, I could eat/drink without much problem. I still had pain when brushing teeth and shaving. (2 inch area, middle upper lip to lower eyelid).
Since titrating, the game-plan (?) has changed drastically. I proceed with extreme caution, as EVERYTHING triggers pain. bob
When the specialist dentist checked whether I needed a root canal she put iced dental instruments against my teeth. Since I could feel everything it was confirmed that the tooth nerves were still alive. Obviously they are different from the trigeminal nerve so I'm not sure why they use eating as a marker for TN. Like you Vesper I have pain in my last two back molars and my cheek, but this is not constant.
Most of the time I have discomfort/pain when I eat though there are times when things are fine. Temperature is not a problem but texture is.
Hi Vesper,
Just a thought, but have you looked at Atypical Odontalgia as WM (Bill) Phillips is, it is a variation of one of the many facial pain syndromes: http://facial-neuralgia.org/conditions/ao.htm
Description
Atypical Odontalgia (AO) is a condition in which a tooth is very painful but nothing can be found wrong with it. The pain is continuous, usually burning, aching and sometimes throbbing and most often occurs in a maxillary (top) molar (back tooth) or in a tooth next to a molar. Since symptoms are very similar to those caused by a "toothache", often numerous dental procedures are done. To complicate matters, these treatments may offer temporary relief from pain, only to have the pain returnSymptoms
Symptoms include a continuous burning, aching pain in a tooth or in the bone/gum surrounding a tooth. Often there in increased sensitivity to pressure over the painful region. Diagnostic tests show no abnormality on x-ray and no obvious cause of tooth pain can be found.
This link was a good was a good one on Atypical Odontalgia - http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/465413
It presents as tooth pain or pain in a site where a tooth was extracted, in absence of clinical and radiographic evidence of tooth pathology. Unfortunately, the occurrence of AO is common; it occurs in 3% to 6% of patients who undergo endodontic treatment. There is a female preponderance with a concentration of cases of women in their mid 40s. Except for children (no reports have been found in the literature), all ages can be affected. Molars and premolars are more frequently involved, with the maxilla being affected more often than the mandible
And here is Bill's blog / discussion topic referring to this: http://www.livingwithtn.org/forum/topics/atypical-odontalgia-or
Have a read of them Vesper, to me it sounded like a fairly accurate description of the pain you describe, however you'll need to read these articles for yourself :-(
For me, I have lost count of my triggers, but eating can be one of my worst. Cold foods, icecreams or cold drinks - same with the opposite, hot foods and drink also are definite YES to triggers, rubbing my eyes or nose, touching my cheek, lying on a pillow, rain or a breeze on my face, a kiss on the cheek or lips, or a hug - these are some of the things that will trigger pain. Oh, hair touching my face (mines always kept verys short now) A lifted collar on a shirt of jacket touching my face or cheek. The touch triggers can be extremely sensitive, overly so I think and the touch could be soft or firm - will still trigger pain. Brushing hair, teeth etc., Talking, laughing :-( Other times the pain starts are set off with no obvious triggers that I can figure - the pain just starts whenever it wants to. I have a pain in my right cheekbone now, just started on it's own while I'm typing.
Best wishes to you for a pain free Christmas!
Kerry
vesper venustas said:
area behind very last back molar. apple of cheek. aching pain with no numbness.
Debbie said:I go through stages. I am affected in all three branches but can have times where my mouth or teeth do not hurt. Where do you normally have pain?
Hi Pat,
Actually, the trigeminal nerve branches (maxillary and mandibular) extend above and below the upper and lower jaw respectively, then sending out feelier branches that then feed into and around our teeth. I'll find the graphic, it's on this site here somewhere and add it to this page.
Hope you're having a pain free day!
Kerry
Pat Gascoigne said:
When the specialist dentist checked whether I needed a root canal she put iced dental instruments against my teeth. Since I could feel everything it was confirmed that the tooth nerves were still alive. Obviously they are different from the trigeminal nerve so I'm not sure why they use eating as a marker for TN. Like you Vesper I have pain in my last two back molars and my cheek, but this is not constant.
Most of the time I have discomfort/pain when I eat though there are times when things are fine. Temperature is not a problem but texture is.
Thanks Kerry I'll look forward to the graphic. Actually I am having a completely pain free day, just crunched my breakfast muesli without any discomfort. Yesterday I spent a lot of time clearing trigger points on my head and found some in the top of the jaw and cheek. I'm hoping to be able to enjoy my Xmas dinner. I hope the same for you. x
Kerry said:
Hi Pat,
Actually, the trigeminal nerve branches (maxillary and mandibular) extend above and below the upper and lower jaw respectively, then sending out feelier branches that then feed into and around our teeth. I'll find the graphic, it's on this site here somewhere and add it to this page.
Hope you're having a pain free day!
Kerry
Pat Gascoigne said:When the specialist dentist checked whether I needed a root canal she put iced dental instruments against my teeth. Since I could feel everything it was confirmed that the tooth nerves were still alive. Obviously they are different from the trigeminal nerve so I'm not sure why they use eating as a marker for TN. Like you Vesper I have pain in my last two back molars and my cheek, but this is not constant.
Most of the time I have discomfort/pain when I eat though there are times when things are fine. Temperature is not a problem but texture is.
hi kerry,
i'm familiar with AO as an entity; it's a fancy diagnosis for trigeminal neuropathic pain. i've not had any trauma to the teeth, but perhaps the nerve block injection could qualify.
vesper
Kerry said:
Hi Vesper,
Just a thought, but have you looked at Atypical Odontalgia as WM (Bill) Phillips is, it is a variation of one of the many facial pain syndromes: http://facial-neuralgia.org/conditions/ao.htm
Description
Atypical Odontalgia (AO) is a condition in which a tooth is very painful but nothing can be found wrong with it. The pain is continuous, usually burning, aching and sometimes throbbing and most often occurs in a maxillary (top) molar (back tooth) or in a tooth next to a molar. Since symptoms are very similar to those caused by a "toothache", often numerous dental procedures are done. To complicate matters, these treatments may offer temporary relief from pain, only to have the pain returnSymptoms
Symptoms include a continuous burning, aching pain in a tooth or in the bone/gum surrounding a tooth. Often there in increased sensitivity to pressure over the painful region. Diagnostic tests show no abnormality on x-ray and no obvious cause of tooth pain can be found.This link was a good was a good one on Atypical Odontalgia - http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/465413
It presents as tooth pain or pain in a site where a tooth was extracted, in absence of clinical and radiographic evidence of tooth pathology. Unfortunately, the occurrence of AO is common; it occurs in 3% to 6% of patients who undergo endodontic treatment. There is a female preponderance with a concentration of cases of women in their mid 40s. Except for children (no reports have been found in the literature), all ages can be affected. Molars and premolars are more frequently involved, with the maxilla being affected more often than the mandible
And here is Bill's blog / discussion topic referring to this: http://www.livingwithtn.org/forum/topics/atypical-odontalgia-or
Have a read of them Vesper, to me it sounded like a fairly accurate description of the pain you describe, however you'll need to read these articles for yourself :-(
For me, I have lost count of my triggers, but eating can be one of my worst. Cold foods, icecreams or cold drinks - same with the opposite, hot foods and drink also are definite YES to triggers, rubbing my eyes or nose, touching my cheek, lying on a pillow, rain or a breeze on my face, a kiss on the cheek or lips, or a hug - these are some of the things that will trigger pain. Oh, hair touching my face (mines always kept verys short now) A lifted collar on a shirt of jacket touching my face or cheek. The touch triggers can be extremely sensitive, overly so I think and the touch could be soft or firm - will still trigger pain. Brushing hair, teeth etc., Talking, laughing :-( Other times the pain starts are set off with no obvious triggers that I can figure - the pain just starts whenever it wants to. I have a pain in my right cheekbone now, just started on it's own while I'm typing.
Best wishes to you for a pain free Christmas!
Kerry
vesper venustas said:
area behind very last back molar. apple of cheek. aching pain with no numbness.
Debbie said:I go through stages. I am affected in all three branches but can have times where my mouth or teeth do not hurt. Where do you normally have pain?
I never had an issue with eatting either…cot, hot or otherwise, infact my teeth never seemed to be a trigger point. Dr said that was kinda odd, but not unheard of. Now as far as pain…my teeth would still hurt (type 2 TN) to the point that I would be screaming and in tears. shrugs
Depends on how much medication I have had!
I have never had problems with the mandibular (lower) branch, so I can hot and cold just fine. I do use Sensodyne toothpaste for sensitivity but only because I grind my teeth and have bad enamel wear.
Elaine
Vesper,
I can eat ice cream now but wouldn’t try it when I was at my worst. And I believe hot coffee triggers small pain in me now. I know I can’t use ice on my cheeks likes some can. I really think ice was a trigger for my worst TN flair that led to surgery. I had a really bad migraine and thought I would try ice on that side of my head and face and within the hour, the sharp pains started. I had had TN for about 3 l/2 yrs before that but little pain.
Liz
Hi Vesper,
I don't have any pain when drinking anything cold but do have dental pain everytime I eat.Not sure if they can disprove that you don't have tn by what you said because from what I have read,everyones symptoms of tn are so different.Good Luck though.
Yes Vesper! I have no pain when eating. What I find weird for me is that I actually get pain relief from chewing gum. So I chew alot of gum and since I have been doing this I have now developed TMJ. I think this is another reason why I am put into the Atypical Category. I don’t have triggers besides stress and anxiety and occasionaly when I brush my teeth. But chewing never causes me pain.
Hi Kerry,
My Symptoms are identical to yours, did yours ever go away?
Andy.
Kerry said:
Hi Vesper,
Just a thought, but have you looked at Atypical Odontalgia as WM (Bill) Phillips is, it is a variation of one of the many facial pain syndromes: http://facial-neuralgia.org/conditions/ao.htm
Description
Atypical Odontalgia (AO) is a condition in which a tooth is very painful but nothing can be found wrong with it. The pain is continuous, usually burning, aching and sometimes throbbing and most often occurs in a maxillary (top) molar (back tooth) or in a tooth next to a molar. Since symptoms are very similar to those caused by a "toothache", often numerous dental procedures are done. To complicate matters, these treatments may offer temporary relief from pain, only to have the pain returnSymptoms
Symptoms include a continuous burning, aching pain in a tooth or in the bone/gum surrounding a tooth. Often there in increased sensitivity to pressure over the painful region. Diagnostic tests show no abnormality on x-ray and no obvious cause of tooth pain can be found.This link was a good was a good one on Atypical Odontalgia - http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/465413
It presents as tooth pain or pain in a site where a tooth was extracted, in absence of clinical and radiographic evidence of tooth pathology. Unfortunately, the occurrence of AO is common; it occurs in 3% to 6% of patients who undergo endodontic treatment. There is a female preponderance with a concentration of cases of women in their mid 40s. Except for children (no reports have been found in the literature), all ages can be affected. Molars and premolars are more frequently involved, with the maxilla being affected more often than the mandible
And here is Bill's blog / discussion topic referring to this: http://www.livingwithtn.org/forum/topics/atypical-odontalgia-or
Have a read of them Vesper, to me it sounded like a fairly accurate description of the pain you describe, however you'll need to read these articles for yourself :-(
For me, I have lost count of my triggers, but eating can be one of my worst. Cold foods, icecreams or cold drinks - same with the opposite, hot foods and drink also are definite YES to triggers, rubbing my eyes or nose, touching my cheek, lying on a pillow, rain or a breeze on my face, a kiss on the cheek or lips, or a hug - these are some of the things that will trigger pain. Oh, hair touching my face (mines always kept verys short now) A lifted collar on a shirt of jacket touching my face or cheek. The touch triggers can be extremely sensitive, overly so I think and the touch could be soft or firm - will still trigger pain. Brushing hair, teeth etc., Talking, laughing :-( Other times the pain starts are set off with no obvious triggers that I can figure - the pain just starts whenever it wants to. I have a pain in my right cheekbone now, just started on it's own while I'm typing.
Best wishes to you for a pain free Christmas!
Kerry
vesper venustas said:
area behind very last back molar. apple of cheek. aching pain with no numbness.
Debbie said:I go through stages. I am affected in all three branches but can have times where my mouth or teeth do not hurt. Where do you normally have pain?
I have to be careful eating anything cold but don't have any problems with eating in general.