Hi
French expat writing from windy Ireland. I have been reading this forum for a while before taking a leap of faith and writing about me.
My journey started a few years ago, I can't even remember the succession of events, all I remember is that I had had troubles with TMJ for a while and that my jaw and face was feeling more and more tired by the day. One day, a few weeks after starting to wear a splint at night and things getting a bit better, I started experiencing a strange ache, like a heaviness in my lower jaw. It progressed within the next few days to pains on chewing, I thought I had cracked a tooth or needed to have some fillings redone. An emergency dentist thought the same and though he couldn't see any crack he redid a large filling in my wisdom tooth
The pain worsened, I returned to my usual dentist who said she couldn't see anything wrong either, removed the filling to put a calming dressing underneath. redid the filling. Polished until she was sure I had no bite issue. The problem continued, and 3 weeks after it first started, I got my first electric zing. I remember it vividly, I was standing in a play centre, having my daughter's birthday, and was talking to another rmum and all of the sudden I felt a stabbing run down my jaw. I thought it was a one off, but when I opened my mouth again, there it was again!
I seriously thought I was losing my mind. Back and forth visits to my dentist revealed nothing, she wanted to refer me to a pain specialist. I took a 2nd advice first and the other dentist thought the wisdom tooth needed a root canal, he offered to do it there and then. I decided not to take a hasted decision since my roots are extremely long and curvy, I could foresee complications. Returned to my dentist with the opinion of the 2nd one, she said no no, don't go down that route, you need to see the pain specialist. I burst into tears, I thought she wanted to get rid of me. She was very reassuring and persuaded me to see the pain specialist, and I'm so grateful she did. He diagnosed type 1 TN, put me on Gabapentin, which did wonder. After 6 months, I was able to wean off it
Fast forward a few years and a few broken teeth due to loosing my night splint and clenching at night. I get 2 crowns done to fix the damage, no root canal as teeth were healthy. This was the path to further misery, a few days after the prep I felt intense pain, burning, relentless. The dentist saw nothing wrong, the endondentist saw nothing wrong ( a sense of déjà vu?), the pain specialist diagnosed ATN, or TN type II this time. Lovely, says I, is there any other type of that beast so that I can come warned next time?
He put me on Lyrica which dosed me so much I was a walking dead. Switched to Gabapentin and some muscle relaxants and got better in no time.
But the beast is back with a revenge :-( I started feeling tingling on the right hand side (bottom jaw) again, had an old filling replaced, it was too high, causing me huge pains. Dentist filed it down and it felt better but still pain on biting and now the zing pains are back, and the other side has been thrown off too. Between the TMJ intense pains and ATN I don't even know what is causing me that burning pain (upper jaw, ears,stabbing in temple, massive headaches just above ear and radiating behind it).
So here I am.... I can't chew on one side for fear of the zings. Nor on this other side for fear of muscle spasms and burning pains (my palate also started to burn on the left side, even though I haven't burnt myself, duuuh?). I am developing a phobia of eating, which is not great for someone who suffered with anorexia in her teens. I sometimes spit out my food (not in public, I still have some manners left!) thinking I have chipped / cracked a tooth and I'm chewing on it. So of course, it was a blessing to read this forum and discover that I am not going completely yoyo, unless everyone on this forum is, that is :-)
I two am in Ireland. Fantastic winter we are having so far for TN sufferers!! I now have a wardrobe full of scarves, hats neck warmers and over sized hoodys. I two have this fear or everything really that can cause a pain even though I was only diagnosed last year and have had only two flares as I call them in that time, the first lasting 4 weeks and the second 8. The second one came on so much more suddenly and so much more severe than the first that I’m already dreading the third. It’s no way to live but that’s life now so on with it 
I two am in Ireland. Fantastic winter we are having so far for TN sufferers!! I now have a wardrobe full of scarves, hats neck warmers and over sized hoodys. I two have this fear or everything really that can cause a pain even though I was only diagnosed last year and have had only two flares as I call them in that time, the first lasting 4 weeks and the second 8. The second one came on so much more suddenly and so much more severe than the first that I’m already dreading the third. It’s no way to live but that’s life now so on with it