My dentist visit

Anyone have this experience? If you have read my posts, skip the next paragraph…

A little history…extreme tooth sensitivity on the right. The dentist kept looking, x-rays several times over the year, nothing could be found. I felt a lot of annoying sensations that followed my bottom jawline to the middle of my bottom teeth and top to my nose and under the jawline. Drinking and eating were getting more and more painful if it touched my teeth on the right. Then about 3 weeks ago…oh Mama Mia!!! Excruciating pain on and off all weekend and finally my husband dragged me to the ER at 3am on a monday morning and the dr said it was tn, gave me steroid and hydrocodon which did nothing. Next day, pain came and went, husband got the neuro to see me and pain escalated to totally unbearable, I was shaking and really wanting to die. Neuro said its tn, gave me injections in my face, put me on 600 mg Tegretol, lidocaine patch, anti-viral med, sent me to MRI. MRI was normal, nothing found that could be causing the pain.

Went to dentist again telling her that top back molar feels weird, as if something is “on it.” Also tasted strong metallic taste. Again, another x-ray, nothing, maybe a cracked filling. The Tegretol absolutely took the pain away, but the 600 was too much, took 100-200 and no pain.

So back to dentist to get the filling removed and replaced. Dentist gave a huge “oh no!” She said the tooth was split in half, no way of saving it, but its a back top molar, I can live without it. So she pulled it. She showed her entire staff because its not something you see often. I took a few pics for my kids. There was a big fat nerve still intact and a particle of food on it. Ouch. I took 500 mg of Tegretol that day, no pain. Next day, no meds, no pain, no sensitivity, nothing.

My question… Did the bad tooth cause the tn? Can removing that tooth keep my tn away or once a damaged nerve always a damaged nerve? My dentist said the bad tooth on top would not cause the pain and sensitivity on the bottom, nor the tn. I guess I just wait and see and keep my drugs and patches near me. I don’t want to be on the Tegretol if I don’t really need it.

I also wonder how many others here could have a split tooth, same thing going on that can’t be detected no matter how many x-rays.

Just a word of caution …Tegretol should not be added and subtracted as needed…please talk to your doctor if you haven’t already, for proper dosing and weaning.
Hope your pain stays away…
Mimi