Unique Toothache Pain?

I've had toothaches off and on for about 10 years now. In researching online I can't seem to find any descriptions that appear to be similar to the kind of pain I'm experiencing.

It's kind of like really quick, excruciating bursts rather than a steady, constant ache. One minute my tooth feels fine, then a 1-2 second long burst of really excruciating pain, then it feels fine again. No remaining pain, no underlying ache. Sometimes they happen in clumps (one every few minutes for 15-60 minutes,) but usually they just happen sporadically throughout the day. I haven't been able to recognize any discernible pattern, nor am I able to identify anything that might be triggering them.

Like I said, I've been researching this online and haven't seen anyone mention this particular kind of toothache pain. I'm interested if anyone else has ever experienced this or if there are any dental experts here that can give any insight. If anyone can offer any home remedies for the pain while I save up enough to go to the dentist that would be really great too. Thanks in advance!

[scottma]

Your descriptions are highly suggestive of pretrigeminal neuralgia. Seeing an orofacial pain specialist or neurologist is advised.

[GilbyD]

Oh wow, that looks pretty serious.  Thanks so much for the heads up on that, I probably never would've discovered it otherwise (I've seen two different dentists over the years that assumed it was an abscess.)  I'll discuss this with my dentist when I go.  Thanks again!