Fear of dental work induced trigeminal neuralgia

OK, I'm trying to be cool about the root canal and two crowns I'm having done on Monday the 13th, but this fear keeps jumping up and jabbing me.

Am I crazy to plan on being fine and fly to Sacramento on Thursday for a three night stay, including two WNBA games?  

What if my Trigeminal Neuralgia flares up, and I need to take Tegretol and get all woozy.  Will I be eating pureed soups?

The trip has been planned for a long time, the flights booked, a good deal on a room locked in, the tickets for the games paid for, and a trip to the Hard Rock Cafe planned.  It will probably be hot there, too.

How many of those of you have had a flare of TN from dental work?  The root canal/crown combo is on the upper left side; the location of my TN that has flared on and off for years, and has gotten much worse in the past year.

I need to have the work done; I'm taking my Amoxicillan for the abscess, and the pain is still pretty bad; my dentist said my health could be at risk if I wait and it could flare up my TN, anyway, that my last flare was probably due to this tooth starting to act up.

I suppose I just need to calm down, relax, and accept things as they come.  I'll pack my Tegretol, have my lab slip ready for bloodwork when I come back if I have to take the Tegretol for a week, etc.

I would appreciate hearing from anyone with info about TN, root canals, crowns, how long it takes to recover the pain from 3 hours of dental work including a root canal, two crowns, and whatever else she comes up with, even if the TN doesn't flare up.

Sorry, just some bedtime jitters; all those little fears that I can surpress during the day are popping up.

Kathy

[maggs970]

hi i have had root canal done several times sore for maybe a few days after just tender where work has been done the whole top of my mouth is crowns i went over a few months had a few abcesses ect the worst thing i had to have done was a procedure where they have to cut the gum at root level top front tooth to get to tip of root as root canal from tip of tooth on several attempt did not clear up abcess (abscess) i had to have gum stitched up with several stitches normal root canal a scoosh compared to the procedure i had to have done hope you get on ok .

[LLWB]

I'm so sorry you have to have this dental work done right before your trip. I guess my experiences are different from maggs970. Dental work usual hurts me for 3-4 days, and I usually get naseauated from the anesthetic. I also have a mouth full of crowns and have had root canals in several.  You will have  to have molds of your mouth taken, if they haven't done that yet. No problem, except like biting on modeling clay. Then the drilling for the root canal, then grinding down the teeth so that the crowns fit over them, They have to grind them off so they are the same size as your other teeth. All of this ofcourse under anesthetic. With work being done on both sides of your mouth, you will be numb for quite awhile. AND your mouth will be open for quite awhile. The pain shouldn't be bad after a day or so if there aren't any problems,  but nothing real crunchy or corn-on-the-cob like to eat. Don't want to loose the temp crowns.

I had an upper molar pulled on Monday. The darn thing still hurts! Taking Tramadol during day and Lortab at night. The biggest problem is the exacerbation of my TMJ pain. Oral surgeon said it was to be expected. But I don't know what to say about your TN. Did you ask your dentist? Maybe you could post on the dental forum here. They are pretty good about replying fairly soon.

Good luck, and enjoy your trip!! Sounds like great fun. As long as you are prepared with meds in case you need them, lots of water, and a hat, I say go for it!!

hugs & prayers
Maggie

[ncowleyc]

I think dental work might be just fine. It would numb the nerves and might help with pain. Maybe ask the doc for some nerve pain medicine if it does cause an attack. I get TN once in a while too. Had some sloppy dental work done years before and all it did was numb a nerve in left side of chin. Too bad it wasn't the whole TN nerve. Good luck. Hope it works out for you.

[michelleric]

I am sorry you are need of so much dental work. I also have had lots of dental work done, and so far, knock on wood, it didnt set off any TN for me.

That being said, I also had troubles with Root canals giving me lots of pain post-op. I think I didnt go to the right person for one of them.

If it were me, I would wait until I got back from my FUN trip and enjoy without any additional mouth troubles. Not that anything would happen, but ya never know. Sorry to be a downer on this one, but better caution 1st. (Just my own opinion here...)

Michelle

[Fluffysmom]

Thank you all for your experiences and input.  I do feel a little more brave in the light of day, lol.  I've had several root canals and crowns, and have tried to block the experiences out, I think, lol!

One time my dentist went to shoot novocaine next to a nerve, and hit the nerve dead on.  I about shot off the foot of the chair; all my muscles tensed and I just kind of shrank away from the pain, thereby sending me down the  smooth chair!

My dentist warned me that this could flare up my TN, but said that the bad tooth, untreated, could flare it up, too, so I thought I'd be better off getting it done.  My roommate, who's going on the trip with  me, agrees that I need to get the work done as soon as possible, but is worried about me being in pain during the trip.

My roommate always does the driving when we travel together, so I don't have to worry about that; I'm the navigator that reads the map and says which exit to take, and tries to read the street signs, :o).

If my mouth is still sore, I can have a carton of yogurt for breakfast, go to Panera Bread and get soup for lunch, etc.  I'll have the Vicodin, and Tegretol if needed, as well as my Lyrica, which helps with nerve pain as well as restless leg syndrome.  I think I have a few extra; I'll take those along, too.

I'm glad that no one had any reports of TN flares from dental work.

Michelle, I've had trouble with root canal post-op pain, too.  I'll keep myself well-medicated this time.  Maybe I should ask my dentist for extra antibiotics, just in case.  I did have an abscess one time after either a filling or root canal, not far from where this latest abscess is. That one was bad; it swelled so much the gum split so it could drain, gross, I know, sorry.

Wouldn't hurt to ask for extra antibiotics.

Oh, the doggone temporary crowns; I'd forgotton what fun they can be, thanks, Maggie!  :o)  I had one on a front tooth that wouldnt stay put, so I was walking around with a gap in the front of my mouth.  Made me realize that I am a bit vain; didn't like that at all!  I'll be careful to keep mine in place,as I found that the glue for temp. crowns they sell in drug stores doesn't work worth a darn!

Thanks, all!

Kathy