I have TN 1 on the left side of my jaw, beginning 3 weeks after a tooth extraction. I will never forget that pain. It is 4 years later now and I have to have another tooth pulled on the opposite side, same exact location as the first. I read all the books when I first got this, of course, but I can't put my hands on them, so I have to ask this question. Does the trigeminal nerve run in such a way that getting this next tooth pulled will cause me TN on the other side?? Or, am I more susceptible of getting it again??? I am very afraid!
If anyone knows this, though I am sure know one knows for sure, please help me.
Thanks,
LoveLexi
I have bilateral TN. Mine started on the right side and then just started on the left side out of nowhere. I ended up having MVD on the left side (in January 2013) and the right side has since gone into remission...it came back twice since surgery but only stuck around for about a month at a time.
As my neurosurgeon explained it to me was the body tends to be symmetrical so the placement of the nerves tend to follow the same course on both sides of the body. BUT, just because you have it on one side DOES NOT mean you will get it on the other. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to tell.
When it comes to dental work unfortunately you don't have much of a choice...if it has to be done it has to be done. I would definitely talk to your dentist about the TN prior and make sure they understand your TN and possible issues. If they don't take it serious find another dentist!!! I love my dentist. I had to have my wisdom teeth pulled she actually pulled the right side (5 days prior to the MVD surgery) she didn't want to touch the surgery side and cause more pain. Six months after surgery I had the other two teeth pulled she numbed me up and gave me 15 minute rest between pulls...she even called me the following day to make sure I was ok!!!
I know how much stress dental work can cause with TN worries. Talk it through with the dentist and don't schedule anything until you are certain they will do everything in their power to make sure everything is good with you!!! Make sure you are 100% comfortable with the dentist before you have anything done...being comfortable with the doctors makes everything a little bit better!!!!
Sara, xoxo
Thanks, Sara. Even though the oral surgeon is very understanding (unfortunately, mine retired and his partner will be working on me, but he is VERY kind) and numbs me up to the best of his power, if I were to get TN, it would be there after the surgery no matter what, right? And, this does have to be done. Then, the really awful part is that I will have to have an IMPLANT so I'll be able to chew! Another bridge to cross.
So I suppose it it will be up to me to get through the next 3 weeks (that is when I get my braces off - did I mention that?). And then I don't know when the implant will be done. But I won't be able to chew without it. As it is, I haven't chewed on my left side where my TN is for the last 4 years. My right jaw is very tired. So, if I remember my last implant correctly, it takes about 8 months for the bone to form and you can get a tooth. So, processed food for that long. It's just so hard to eliminate the stress.
I just had a route canal on the tooth next to it and this didn't even enter my mind!! I didn't know that route canals could bring TN on! Thank heavens I didn't know that! However, the endodontist hasn't eliminated the pain in this tooth yet. He keeps giving me antibiotics and I still have pain when I bite on it. NOW I AM WORRIED. But it's not TN pain - it's only when I bite on it. It's unfortunate that I have bad teeth. I am a grinder. That is my problem.
Oh, boy. Thank you for your help, Sara. xoxo to you too.
Barb (LoveLexi)
Properly done, a root canal won't cause TN, Barb. Only if the anesthetic is administered directly into the lingual nerve, or the root canal is over-filled with material that seeps out into adjacent nerve channels is there a risk -- and even then, the risk doesn't appear to be 100%. Your dentist appears to be using conservative measures. At least you aren't working with some idiot who will recommend multiple extractions as the pain seems to "move" from one tooth to the next, without evidence of abscess or infection. I've heard from people over the years who went through that process with a "diagnosis" (label) of "atypical odontalgia" which basically doesn't say anything other than "unusual tooth pain".
So far, I think you've gotten good advice from both Sara and your dental team.
Let us know how you come out, please.
Go in Peace and Power
Red
Last night I really had a nightmare!! And of course it was a Friday night. Before dinner I was really hungry so I buttered up a thin cracker like I've done many times before and I bit it with my 2 front teeth and sucked it down - however, a piece of it accidentally slipped over to my diseased tooth (it has "external apsorption") which is next to my still sore route canal tooth - 2 last teeth on the top right of my mouth. By habit, I bit down and the pain was excruciating !#$%@^! and it lasted all night. I used ice and took Tylenol (I can't take Advil). I keep trying to tell myself that it wasn't TN, but it felt like it. The only thing that told me it wasn't was that the Tylenol eased it, and no pain killer ever eases TN. Also, my TN is TN 1 and doesn't last steadily all night - it goes off and on. This was steady.
Today it is a very mild ache, but manageable, where I lightly brushed my teeth, but not those two. I am now very scared that it is going to come back.
I am somewhat in the dark about the "external apsorption" except that the endodontist said it has to come out. He saw that I have braces and when he asked me how long I would have them on he asked me if I had pain in that tooth "yet". So, maybe that is what that pain feels like. If it is, it's really bad.
I only hope it's not TN from the route canal. Red, you talked about where the anesthetic should be administered - he gave me the shot in the roof of my mouth. He has never brought up extracting the route canal tooth - he'll probably do it again to clean it out, since the pain is still there. He had to do that once before. The only time he suggests extraction after a route canal is when it still hurts and a new x-ray shows a small crack that he couldn't see the first time. Then there's no choice.
Waiting till Monday morning now and trying not to tense up. Really hard.
Anybody know or think if this could be one of the types of TN?
Barb
Barb, I don't think I have heard the term "external absorption" used as a reason for removing a presumably diseased tooth. But I'm not a dentist or deeply read in dental literature. If you have a diseased tooth with a visible abscess, then the tooth likely has to come out. If the painful tooth has already had a root canal, then the dentist should be able to explain to you how a tooth that has no biological pulp can be affected in the manner that yours apparently has been.
Perhaps most basically, does your dentist have any training in the treatment of patients who have a diagnosis of Trigeminal Neuralgia? If he doesn't, then you might want to consult with an oro-facial pain specialist who has a deeper grounding in neurology of the mouth and face.
Regards, Red
My ignorance and memory, Red - the term for what I have is "external resorption", and that is the disease I am referring to. If you get the chance to look that up you'll see that in most cases extraction is called for. "Internal resorption" is the less rare of the two and easier to treat.
Sorry for sounding like I was making something up!
Barb
No worries. Barb. I just didn't recognize the term, so thought I'd ask.
Best, Red
Hi! It's Barb, and it's March of 2016. Pulling the tooth didn't give me a problem at all. The implant, which I had pretty quickly, gave me no problem. After about 7 months I was told that the bone had grown correctly and I could get the crown. The problem was we were not financially ready (dental insurance all gone) at this time (my dentist is great, but very expensive) and I had to wait another year (January 1 for our insurance). I didn't know that my gum had grown over the screw that they put in for the crown, and he had to cut the gum away to be able to screw the crown on.
The rest of the day and that night I had pain that was definitely TN pain, and I kept screaming "Oh no, not again, why me!!" My husband just held me while I cried. Pain pill didn't help. The next day was better, which was not like the first time I got it. The pain didn't come back. Until I was eating about 2 weeks ago and the pain sent me through the roof! I thought something was wrong with the crown so the dentist had me come in. He said the crown was fine, but when he poked around the tooth behind it hurt. That was the tooth I had the root canal on, so he had me go back to the endodontist.
The endodontist took an x-ray and showed me that there was no infection. But he used a somewhat sharp instrument and poked on my gums, and the pain was terrible. He sent me to a periodontist.
The periodontist said my gums had no disease in them (I was worried because my Mom had gum disease). He thought I was biting funny because of the new crown and did some kind of shaving off of the crown where I had the root canal.
Now I have a dull ache that goes off and on and I can't chew on that side without sharp pain. I think this is a form of Trigeminal Neuralgia from the invasive work to cut my gums to make room for the crown.
Does anyone agree with me? After all, I have a severe case of it on the other side, so I am prone to it. Also, I know if I call my neurologist she won't do anything because I am on so much medicine already. Whenever I have breakthrough pain on my original side she just tells me I have to ride it through.
I would appreciate any opinions or comments.
Thanks,
Barb