Good afternoon all. I have been away from this site for too long. My TN has been quiet, and for that I have been thankful, until about a month ago. Suddenly and with out warning it just flared out of control. The pain was as it had ever been, and yet somehow different. After about a week I realized that the teeth on the right side of my mouth no longer made contact. After a few more days there was only one tooth making contact, and the pain in that was terrible. Too make a long story short, I found a local dentist who knew what TN was AND had other patients who were fellow sufferers. He diagnosed me with a massive abscess which had progressed into my jaw, and sent me home with antibiotics and pain medication for a week. When I went back he gave me Valium which was amazing, and he pulled the tooth. The pain is gone! He told me that the infection in the tooth itself was so bad, he didn't know how I could stand it.
I have heard horror stories about how dental work made the TN flare but I have to say that in this case it actually toned it down. Once that infected tooth was gone, I was feeling so much better. Look for a dentist who has experience with TN patients. Someone who is up to date on the most recent techniques and is willing to work with your neuro. You will never regret it!