Nerve problem??

[Joan Palmer]

After a tooth extraction (rear back top right - cracked root) five years ago, all double top teeth still hurt. I had lots of pain in a rear top left tooth. Again the root was cracked and tooth extracted. The teeth roots' seem red hot and as though there are stinging nettles in the gums. On occasions my cheek bones painfully ache. My lips also tingle. Although it is not painful to eat, seconds after finishing eating this sensation is heightened. I have taken various medication (gabapentin etc}, had numerous kinds of x ray and have been told my teeth are ok. Six weeks ago I had the top back (left) tooth removed as the pain was very bad in that tooth. The dentist said the tooth was ok. I still have the pain and sensation in that site. I have had regular appointments at a Dental Hospital, the Consultant has now told me there is nothing he can do. Please Please is there anyone out there that can help. I'm now finding it difficult to cope.

 

[honestdoc]

This is difficult to analyze your problem. Possibilities are you may have sinus pain that mimics upper teeth pain. How you know is if your pain is more pronounced when you bend forward and walk up & downstairs. With all the medications you are taking, you may experience dry mouth which can be very uncomfortable. You maybe grinding/clenching you teeth which can stress your teeth and TMJ. With your lips tingling, you may be experiencing a nerve problem.

 

[MattKW]

Sounds neuoropathic, and that's why they've tried the gabapentin. Either dentally or neurologically it's odd that both sides are hurting.
So I assume you've been to the dentist, endodontist, and neurologist to end up in this situation? Is there any sort of facial pain clinic where you live? They won't necessarily be able to get rid of the pain, but they can help you manage it. I don't know if you'd be suitable for some type of permanent nerve block - getting out of my depth here.

 

[Joan Palmer]

Yes I have seen them all, also had ENT check to eliminate sinus issues. I have also seen a psychologist to help manage the pain but everything that is suggested I am doing already. I am on no medication at present as nothing worked. I wear a splint at night which does ease the pain and oddly enough chewing gum helps the pain too. It seems gentle pressure, even with holding a finger on the teeth helps

 

[Busybee]

It sounds as though you have a trapped nerve. Have you tried physiotherapy? I am not an expert but if you find relief by both chewing and pressing on the area then this sounds like the same interference when touching certain pressure points. So you may benefit from something like deep tissue accupressure as it could be that your muscles are in spasm due to the change in bite and that this is causing pressure on the nerves. When you are chewing that changes the height of the jaw because you have food between your teeth. So the collapse of the jaw appears to be causing the problem with the nerve. Our muskulo skeletal system is no different to a building. Take away a storey and you end up with instability and pain.

 

[MattKW]

I'm sorry, I cannot offer further suggestions. You sound like you are in the best possible hands, despite the fact that nothing has been found as a cause. Unfortunately, medicine and science don't yet have the answer to every ailment or the appropriate treatment. I would be very wary of trying any other treatment without discussing with your treating doctors first - you may cause other problems and confuse the issue even more.

 

[lolzita]

Atypical odontalgia... Read Sarno/Ozanich's books on TMS

 

[MattKW]

Atypical odontalgia - which really means we don't know. Any symptom we don't fully understand yet goes under the heading of atypical, but that doesn't help the OP. As for TMS, unscientific twaddle of a pet hypothesis.

 

[lolzita]

TMS is definitely not a hypothesis. Psychosomatic pain can cause any type of pain in the body and make you feel like it has a physical cause. I agree atypical odontalgia is a term used by dentists that just means "nothing physical" can be found. Therefore the psychological approach needs to be looked at.

Trust me, I just went through the whole ordeal for the past 2 years. I had extreme dental nerve pain (pins and needles, burning, numbness) in my front teeth. I tried everything and wasted my time and money for way too long, MRI, Xrays, ENT, TMJ, Neurologists, Acupuncture, 4 different dentists. I took a tone of meds (benzos, gabapentin, and even opioids). But nothing worked.

I healed myself completely in a matter of months with the TMS method. Phantom tooth pain, tingling lips, burning gums and the fact he doesn't have pain while he eats but returns right after.. all are a clear giveaways for TMS. That is EXACTLY what I had. What does OP have to lose?

OP send me a PM if you want and I'll guide you to your healing the way I did

 

[Busybee]

Pardon me, but the idea that dental pain is psychological is a poor excuse when medics cannot find or understand the cause. I went through the ordeal of this nonsense but all I needed were a few adjustments after poor quality dental work. It's used as a go to by some dentists when they reach a dead end. The fact is that true psychosomatic dental pain is incredibly rare. Most dental pain which appears to have no cause is just a combination of variables that are very difficult to pinpoint.

 

[lolzita]

Ok then tell me what type of dental issue causes tingling/burning type of sensation
all the way into the lips and cheeks? OP is not describing a traditionnal type of dental pain.

To me that’s the trigeminal nerve acting up. A neurologist could determine what’s going on better than a dentist. I don’t buy the whole “pinched nerve” theory. There so much dentists/neurologists can do based on Xrays/MRIs. If they come out clear then what?

 

[Busybee]

A trigeminal nerve problem is not psychosomatic. There is simply insufficient understanding of the link between the teeth, the bite, the posture and the nervous system. This is because it is impossible to form a good study method when there are so many variables as everyone has a different physiology in combination of these elements.

 

[lolzita]

Sorry to be insisting but I'm the living proof that it can be. Any type of nerve pain can be psychosomatic including Trigeminal neuralgia. I'm not saying that it's always the case. But it definitely shouldn't be ruled out, unless you don't want to heal.

When a neurologist diagnosis you with Trigeminal neuralgia, they'll usually simply tell you nothing can be done and that you'll live with it for the rest of your life. They will also put you on pills like gabapentin or other crap nerve meds that don't work. I'm sorry but that is the alternative.

But I agree with you that there are a ton of variables involved and that the face is probably one of the most complex part of the body with the brain.

 

[Busybee]

I had trigeminal neuralgia which resolved after three or four months. Most such conditions do resolve over time. Some are unlucky and have a chronic problem. I think mine was linked to the bite because it was around the same time as I first noticed a clicky jaw.

Stress can make you grind more or clench more or hunch your shoulders but the pain (in all but a tiny minority of cases) is caused by a physical source. Mine may have been triggered by a poorly made night guard. Your body and jaw can re-align and rebalance itself over time. Teeth move over time. We don't fully understand the nature of pain but when I looked into this a couple of years ago, it turns out that psychosomatic pain is rare.

I really do wish there were more specialists covering the whole area crossing over from dental to neuro to orthopaedics and muskuloskeletal. Unfortunately the body is treated like a car going into the mechanics. The bite "specialists" I have met don't really seem to be any more clued up than general dentists. As for neurologists, don't even start me on that topic.

 

[lolzita]

I agree 100%

 

[Robert Bailey]

TMS is definitely not a hypothesis. Psychosomatic pain can cause any type of pain in the body and make you feel like it has a physical cause. I agree atypical odontalgia is a term used by dentists that just means "nothing physical" can be found. Therefore the psychological approach needs to be looked at.

Trust me, I just went through the whole ordeal for the past 2 years. I had extreme dental nerve pain (pins and needles, burning, numbness) in my front teeth. I tried everything and wasted my time and money for way too long, MRI, Xrays, ENT, TMJ, Neurologists, Acupuncture, 4 different dentists. I took a tone of meds (benzos, gabapentin, and even opioids). But nothing worked.

I healed myself completely in a matter of months with the TMS method. Phantom tooth pain, tingling lips, burning gums and the fact he doesn't have pain while he eats but returns right after.. all are a clear giveaways for TMS. That is EXACTLY what I had. What does OP have to lose?

OP send me a PM if you want and I'll guide you to your healing the way I did

Can you tell me what you did to heal yourself?

 

[John Roberts]

Is this thread still alive? Some of this sounds like my problems with my teeth. I don't know if I just haven't been to the right doctor or dentist or what. I suffer everyday with no relief. I hate to get up on the morning.

 

[Joan Palmer]

I think I started this thread. I am still suffering. I have been discharged from the dental hospital as they feel they can do nothing. I saw a neurologist who couldn't do anything. I am waiting for an appointment to see a consultant to consider nerve blocking. In the meantime the pain and the sensations are getting worse. I don't want to eat as the pain afterwards is terrible. Although it isn't painful to eat it's just not worth the aftermath.

 

[John Roberts]

Sorry for your suffering Joan. Although our problems don't sound exactly the same ( I wish they did ) it is a hell of a thing to go through. I just turned 73. This November will be three years I have been having my problems. Right now I am at a stand still as to what to do. I still don't know if it is something dental or neurological. Of the three neurologist I have been to one said dental, one treated me for trigeminal neuralgia and one said he didn't know what is wrong. The dentist I gave been to don't know. The xrays don't show anything. I thank goodness I can sleep. They can really be hurting but one I get in bed I can go got sleep. I do thank the dentist and other people commenting. I know some of them don't agree with each other but I know that's to be expected. Keep posting. I am trying to decide what to do next.

 

[Robert Bailey]

Is this thread still alive? Some of this sounds like my problems with my teeth. I don't know if I just haven't been to the right doctor or dentist or what. I suffer everyday with no relief. I hate to get up on the morning.

Yes this thread is alive. I have had this issue for going on 2 years now. I have been to many dentists, ear nose and throat, and neurologist. I clench my jaw. Do you? I have noticed that my teeth are moving too.