So is it still TN or what

[CandyB]

Tonight I have a tooth, upper right last rear tooth that hurts to touch and bite on. Does that mean it really IS a tooth problem, or can this still be TN?? The pain seems to jump around. What is going on!?

[chasingmytoddlers2]

Candy,

There are times weekly, monthly when I can not eat a grain of cooked rice. Then one minute later I can eat a raw almond.

The teeth pain was much worse and more active before the meds really got to work. I think the first 3 months or so I did just what you are doing....thinking, maybe it is just a bad tooth. But for 16 months my teeth have been perfect. The back molars are the worst for me.

Lots of people should have comments about teeth pains and some tricks and ideas to help you out. For me the teeth pain comes and goes. Doesn't matter what I do or don't do.

My comments are just to let you know you are not alone.
Stephanie

[chasingmytoddlers2]

oh, one thing a dentist asked me to do over the phone once was to poke the tooth with a toothpick and to bite down on it *when it is not hurting. If it is a cracked tooth or something deeper inside it would bring on the pain.
During that conversation I could poke, chomp, clamp, bite, clench and it did not hurt for one second.
Of course doing nothing later that day caused me severe pain.

[EE03]

Also check your gums for signs of infection, ie. swelling, redness, etc... I've spent a lot of time on tooth problems that weren't, as have lots of other TN'ers. Its frustrating, but beats having your teeth pulled. Often times I feel as though the roots of my teeth are on fire. No rhyme or reason to it, other than TN. And then a tooth with no feeling due to a root canal, starts hurting, even with a cap on it. This conditon really messes with your head, no pun intended.

[CandyB]

Thank you all once again. Stephanie, your info really made me think it's probably not a tooth. To hear that others have similar situations really is so comforting. I greatly appreciate all of your replies. This thing indeed does "mess with your head!!"

Candy

[baywatcher]

Check off one more with ambiguous tooth problems - tn masquerading as dental. Plus, there's the earaches that aren't actually earaches and the eye trouble that is just the tn messing around. No wonder I get jumpy if I get some pain on the non-tn side - that awful "now what?" feeling. Of course we don't want to overlook or ignore a real problem but tn really jerks us around. Hope it helps at least to know that there are a lot of us in that same boat with you. Hugs, Nancy

[chasingmytoddlers2]

Candy,
My pleasure. Nothing could make me happier than telling you something that might keep you from running to the dentist and demanding that they extract a tooth. It's been done and even I used to swear there must be something wrong with a tooth, but then the pain is gone, just as quick as it started.

Here is another thing, just like Nancy said about ears and eyes.
Sinus pain. Right now I have pains in my right side cheek area and up to my forehead. It hurts when I bend forward. Now in a few hours it could be totally gone. I have had this many times before and thought I must be getting a cold. If the pain stops any time soon I know it is just the face pain being tricky. My teeth are hurting this morning too so that tells me it is probably the face. I will know soon, it can go either way.

We still can get ear aches, regular headaches, sinus pressure. Our illness can also mimic them. It is a game.
I am sorry you have to play.

How is your face pain today?
Stephanie

[CandyB]

You are all so wonderful. Thanks. Today the teeth, right upper back two nearest my ear, are very sensitive so I'm not chomping down or biting down hard, but the constant ache in my jaw and teeth is gone! Poof! Just as you all report. Perhaps the Medrol (steroid) regimen is having the desired effect, for now anyway. You have all been so supportive. I really appreciate it, and had I not had your responses, I'll bet I would be sitting at the dentist having him tap successfully, but inappropriately, on two very sore teeth. God knows I don't want dental work if I don't need it, and I'd had a full check up anyway at the end of December, at which time he found nothing. Of course I saw him last week too, when this first came on, and was given a pan x-ray which revealed nothing.

Thank you again. I'll check back here frequently.
Candy

[Immo]

Hi Candy,

I've not posted in a while, I just wanted to let you know, that years before I even heard of TN I had been diagnosed with four different things (they were all actually TN but I didn't know at the time) I'd been told I'd had "Cluster Headaches", "Sinusitis", "Chronic Paroxysmal Hemicrania" and "unusual Migraines"..

I was also one who did think I had severe dental problems after growing up with perfect teeth - I then agreed to have teeth pulled *to fix the problem*. After the teeth were pulled, the pain was STILL THERE! I'd had all up, 6 teeth removed. I don't recommend it at all.

It took them 10 years to get me the correct diagnosis, of TN. I wasn't happy about it as none of us are - but I could stop getting my teeth extracted then.

I wish you all the best and hope for you to have pain free days!

Kerry

[CandyB]

Thanks, Kerry.
The pain has diminished significantly and I'm hoping it was not something which will re-occur, but I don't know how that works...
Candy

[allih]

I had a root canal done twice in the same tooth, it still hurt and then after 2 weeks of tooth pain it disappeared for a couple of years. It wasn't until I was diagnosed that I realized it was TN not my tooth that was the problem. I still periodically get pain in that tooth that will last for a few days and disappear again. Now I don't do anything with my teeth until I know for sure it is the tooth not TN. Since I have Bilateral Type II, the pain can be anywhere in my upper or lower jaws along with those lovely stabbing pains through the ear. That second branch is a doozy.

It helps to figure out what types of foods trigger an attack. I can't eat gum or sunflower seeds as that sets off that tooth pain right away. Figuring out those triggers will help with some of the attacks but not all as they are a fickle and particularily nasty beast that likes to attack with no warning.

Alli

[CandyB]

Thanks, Alli. From now on I will always be suspicious of toothaches. I seldom if ever get them, that is why this was so weird, but once my dentist gives me a clean bill of health, I'll BELIEVE him!

The pain is almost gone, and so are my Medrol, so I'm interested to see if the pain will circle back, or if it has staved of the nerve inflammation for now.

Candy

[Robyn6447]

Just something else to have you dentist check, I was having teeth pain and chalked it up to my atn. He did all the xrays and checked in my mouth and said everything looked good but when I was at home I looked at the teeth that hurt and thought it looked my gum had receded. Low and behold that was it or partly it. He puts something on your tooth along the gumline and it has helped tremendously. For some reason this year my gumline has receded on some of my teeth. I have had all kinds of dental and mouth problems but that's another story.

[CandyB]

Thanks, Robyn. I have had that problem too in the past, and I've had some "enamel" added to fill in where it's receding. While it is always something to keep in mind, this time I do believe was a bout (my first) of TN.

I appreciate your posting.

Candy

[Robyn6447]

Well thanks for reminding me it is enamel, he told me but as usual I forget lol. It has helped alot on my left side but yeah I'm still having pain from my atn. Right now it's been going on since last Saturday. God I wish it would stop, can't sleep and just want to rip my jaw off right now but I'm sure u know where I'm coming from.
Robyn