Hi everyone,
OK, how do I know if a root canal I had recently is failing, and more importantly, how do I see about getting the tooth pulled without having to add to the problem. I mean, is there a way to have the tooth pulled without making my trigeminal nerve issues worse? Please help!
Jean,
Someone sent me this awhile back.
For someone who must have major work done, recommends preemptive anesthesia to prevent the pain of the dental procedure from “jazzing up” the transmission of pain signals from the trigeminal nerve to the brain. He suggested these steps:
For a day or so before and after the procedure, increase the dose of any TN medications you’re taking.
Ask your dentist to use Marcaine® without epinephrine for the local anesthetic. Marcaine is long-acting, so you’re less likely to need multiple injections – each one producing pain signals. Epinephrine is a vasoconstrictor; it’s sometimes added to local anesthetics to prolong their numbing effect. However, epinephrine can trigger nerve pain, so you’re better off without it.
Ask the dentist to inject the local anesthetic at a site as far as possible from the trigger point for the TN pain.
Several hours before the procedure, take a pain-killing medication such as codeine. After the procedure, take it again. The goal is to have at least five hours afterwards during which you’re free of pain.
get an xray from your dentist. this will show if you need the tooth re filled or pulled. pulling the tooth sometimes worsens the pain for people; it depends on the cause of the pain. consult a dentist who has experience treating patients with TN.
vesper
Thanks to you both. I went to the dentist office, and my dentist said that everything looked ok. We shall see. I was in pain today from muscle spasms in my neck and my face. I started thinking of the “electric like shocks…” I have never experienced this kind of pain. My pain has mostly occurred with muscle spasms and sharp muscular type pain. I feel distraught and very very scared and alone.