Dental cleaning at my family dentist has become too painful. My last cleaning took weeks to bounce back to my normal pain level. My dentist recommended my next dental cleaning be with conscious sedation with Dr Christopher Kazor in Lansing, Mi. With the exception of my neurosurgeon Dr Kenneth Casey I have experienced much eye rolling and sighs when I have asked health care professionals to not touch my face. Dr. Kazor asked me where on my face my trigger points were before he touched me. Other Dr.'s haven't realized I had trigger points. He read the documentation I brought in regarding TN and numbing shots. He and his staff treated me with kindness. It's so rare to have the TN pain be recognized and validated as the monster it is. It was a relief to not be afraid and to let myself trust. The x-rays showed I had decay in a crown base. He detailed my options root canal/replace crown/pull the tooth and placed a call to my family dentist to get his input. I opted to have the tooth pulled and could have had it done while I was under for the cleaning. I choose not to do it that day. I wanted to see if conscious sedation made a difference in the after pain from cleaning. If I had a tooth pulled at the same time I wouldn't be able to tell. This is how it went: they placed an iv in my arm in the same spot they withdraw blood from. He said you should start feeling a little sleepy. I realized I was being helped into my daughters car and was on my way home. They had told me I would be able to respond and ask for numbing cream or shots during the cleaning. They asked me at various times if I wanted anything. I told them I didn't need it. I only know this because my daughter told me. I have no memory of the cleaning. I had no after treatment pain flare up, in fact I felt better that night with regards to my usual TN teeth pain than I had in a long time. I expect it was from the IV drugs still in my system. My insurance does not cover the sedation. It was 350.00.
I was gonna say..is there such a thing as a positive dental experience??? Good for you!! I am glad this all worked out so well for you!!! If I ever have to have anything done I will do the same thing. I will pay out-of-pocket too. Totally worth it!!! :D
Thank you so much for sharing this! I'm at the point now that I get anxious even when I know an appointment is next week. Last time they tried to clean my teeth, they first checked my gum depth. Started on my non-TN side, no problem. They hit my middle teeth and the pain came so immediately & intensely they had done three more teeth before I could push them away & tell them to stop. Tears were streaming down my face from this and the person just kept on explaining that I had to be able to do this because the cleaning would be the same. Sheesh. I said, no more and left. I'm wondering if the nitrous they give might help, but, like your experience, it costs more.
I'm very glad you had such a great non-pain experience! It gives me hope.
I just can not tell you how much I can identify with you. I have TN Type 2. I have pain every day on both sides of my face.
When I go to the dentist I have to have the nitrous oxide gas along with a sedative pill that will put me in a twilight state so I can be worked on with out having a exacerbation of pain for days or weeks that I would without it. When I did not have it I have had days up to 8 weeks to recover. When I have had to have root canals I had to get intravenous sedation to deal with the TN. Then I have no residual pain.
But let me tell you to get the dentist to understand this and to cooperate I have had all the eye rolling too. They all say they know what TN is. Well they may but they do not understand what it entails and how to treat the TN person. My last attempt at getting my teeth clean was a horror. I asked the tech not to do several things as they were triggers and she kept doing them anyway. What she saw as fussing was my attempt to keep the pain from escalating. Well with tears rolling down my checks she got snarky and nasty. I told her again I had TN and it hurt and to my shock she said so did she. Well I just got up and left. I really am happy for that tech because she really must not have the pain so many us have or she would have understood about cleaning and TN pain more.
I just got home from my second cleaning with sedation. Same positive results. I know the cost is too much for most but if you can swing it, I recommend it. My kids asked me not to buy them gifts for Christmas and to use the money instead for sedation.
I started out the morning with terrible ache and jabs. I told the dentist I was actually looking forward to coming as I would have 30 seconds while I was going under that I would be aware I was feeling no pain. Going under seems to calm down the nerve. Since being home after the cleaning the pain level is lower than it has been for weeks even with being poked and scraped.
Hoothoot!!! Good for you…
So glad for you!!!
Shinemoon said:
I just got home from my second cleaning with sedation. Same positive results. I know the cost is too much for most but if you can swing it, I recommend it. My kids asked me not to buy them gifts for Christmas and to use the money instead for sedation.
I started out the morning with terrible ache and jabs. I told the dentist I was actually looking forward to coming as I would have 30 seconds while I was going under that I would be aware I was feeling no pain. Going under seems to calm down the nerve. Since being home after the cleaning the pain level is lower than it has been for weeks even with being poked and scraped.
I used to live in East Lansing, MI, prior to the TN pain, so I can't recommend a dentist. In the state of NY, where I am now, I have a "progressive dentistry" dentist who is very knowledgeable about TN. I sometimes get novocaine for cleanings or just the numbing gel if I have sufficient medication in my system. I've had two glycerol rhyzotomies, the last of which made the left side of my face numb and my eye totally numb. I need to put eye drops in 4x a day to substitute for tears, but otherwise the TN is reduced. I still have to take neurontin and tegretol in addition to Lamictal 2x/day. I have MS so my case is more complicated than most. Anyway, it is possible to educate your dentist, take appropriate medications and then have a shot of novocaine for cleanings. Then the insurance should pay for it. See your neuro about the appropriate anti-seizure meds. Good luck! Lois
Thank you for sharing your experience. I need to hear it's possible to have a good dental experience. Now, I need to find a dentist in my area. Although I'm not opposed to flying somewhere for treatment if it's a dentist who understands TN.
Just before my diagnosis, the last straw that threw me into uncontrollable pain - my dentist did a crown and the temporary crown is still on there. I couldn't go back to get the permanent crown on. My dentist apparently couldn't bill the insurance until I came back for the permanent. They kept calling me and I would tell them I was diagnosed with TN and seeing a neurologist and I couldn't have any more work done right now. The neurologist said the time to go back for the permanent crown would be - on medication with no pain. Well, the dentist office called me weeks later and flatly said "Dr. **** wants the name and phone # of your doctor". I gave it and they hung up. Wow!
Anyone else out there that has dentist recommendations please let me know. This temporary crown won't last forever. I'm in Seattle area.
Take care.
There is a group of dentists in your area that advertise 'gentle dental' care. Just look it up. Then you can talk to their staff and see what they say. I hope this helps.
Thank you Lois.