Q1. Is TN1 and ATN the same medical entity? I understand the difference in symptoms but what I do not understand is why TN1 and ATN are treated with different medicine if both are the same thing (at least the name implies they are the same) yet from what I've read here both are treated differently and TN1 medicine doesn't work on ATN and vice versa.
<Opinion on this varies, but the general trend seems to be that TN1 and TN2 are related forms of pain that present in the same nerve distribution. The two "medical entities" have overlapping symptoms. But increasingly, the designation "Atypical" TN or TN-2 is viewed as a neuropathic condition associated with various forms of physical damage to the nerve, while TN-1 is an inflammation whose precise origins or causes are still not fully known.
Q2. If ATN is very constant, milder pain.... Then why is not considered a neuropathy? I had a neuropathy on my leg before and it was three years of a very specific numb area of my skin that felt weird to touch. I do not recall stabbing pain or a change in pain, it was rather very constant and consistent in symptoms.
<See Q1 above.
Q3. Why is TN1 called true trigeminal neuralgia (I've seen it called like that on some sites), does that mean ATN is rather a symptom of an underlying issue causing the trigeminal nerve to get irritated, while TN1 is a more concrete entity with more specific symptoms and causes?
<Except for the "specific" part, your statement would probably be comfortable for a lot of neurologists. I've talked with many people whose "classic" or typical TN emerged after some form of dental injury, or even after Shingles. TN-1 is a more specific pattern.
Q4. How can you tell the difference between TMJ and ATN? (I understand ATN is a consistent milder pain that can present itself without any of the TN1 stabbing, and TMJ is also a consistent milder pain that can have stabbing pain similar to TN1, so they truly overlap) so what sets them apart? I also know TMJ causes cracking sounds but according to some doctors I've spoken to TMJ not always create cracking noises at the joint. So how do they set them apart? is there any criteria?
<Differential diagnosis between TMJ and ATN can be subtle. Send me an email at ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■, and I will send you a long article on how such diagnoses are made and distinguished from one another. It is wise to understand that TMJ is very likely very much over-diagnosed by general dentists who have minimal training in neurology. When you get volleys of lightning strike electric-shock pain which are not sensitive to the position of your jaw, then almost certainly you aren't dealing with TMJ, but with TN1.
Q5. Why do they classify ATN and Trigeminal Neuropathy different? I have seen here that they treat them with the same type of medicine... so why are they different?
<Most likely they aren't different. This distinction seems to be a hold-over from the earlier diagnosis by elimination called "atypical face pain". At one time it was common to put that label on any case of face pain that crossed the center line of the face -- and to imply that the problem was psychological rather than physical. It is now known that bilateral neuralgia and neuropathy are fairly common among face pain patients. But regrettably, some medical authorities who should know better insist on peddling the mythology that bilateral face pain is caused by depression or stress, and is thus somehow less "real".