Question for people that suffer w/ TN

I have a "new symptom" associated with TN and am wondering if any of you experience this or whether it is unrelated.

I have been having a "sensitive" cheek for about 2 days, now my upper tooth on that side is having sharp severe shooting pains as well. I thought I was having a toothache, and needing a dentist ASAP, but now my ear on that side is also having the shooting, sharp pain.

I typically get the ear pain with the episode of TN, but never have my teeth been involved. So, have u all had this with TN?  or should I be seeing dentist tomorrow?

I have an appt with my Neuro Wed. so I might try to make it until then if I can.

Just wanted some thoughts,
Thanks,
Michelle

[Sailorsong]

Michelle,

  When I get the TN it usually feels like every tooth on the left side of my face, both upper and lower) are in need of immediate if not sooner dental care. I also get the cheek and ear pain to go along with the teeth. Needless to say I am miserable.

Dennis

[michelleric]

Thanks for the reply. How long do your teeth hurt for?
Michelle

[Quixotic1]

Hi, Michelle, The 5th cranial nerve, the Trigeminal Nerve, carries sensation from the gums also, so dental-like pain is VERY common with TN.  It was initially all I had.  The pain can be so convincing that some people have had ignorant or unscrupulous dentists pull healthy teeth in an attempt to relieve the pain.

However, you should NOT just assume that the pain is due to the TN, though it likely is, especially if it is in the same branch of the nerve that it has been in the past.  You need to see a dentist and have the health of the teeth involved verified.  Once that is done, you can deal with it as part of your TN.

The sensitivity of the cheek is also common.  Also, altered sensation in the painful areas is expected with TN, so that you will usually find that that side of the face in the areas served by the involved branched of the Trigeminal Nerve are often less sensitive to touch, though they also may have painful paresthesias.  It's a paradox of the effects of damaged sensory nerves.

In my case the pain in my tooth (a molar) was blindingly painful for a brief time initially, but then it moved into the atypical kind of boring, deep aching that lasted most of my time awake.  So, it varied enormously with time.

I hope you can get it under control.

Quix

[michelleric]

Thanks Quix.  I am SO happy to see you posting, I hope it means you are feeling better. Hugs to you.

This tooth pain is pretty bad.  I don't know to hope for an actual tooth problem, or hope it is part of my TN.  It would be financially better to have it be part of my TN, but not happy because I don't need any more pain associated with TN. Have had enough of that.

Guess I will have to wait and see what happens overnight. Wishing I had a good pain pill at the moment....

Thanks again,
Michelle

[Sailorsong]

Michelle,

   Usually the teeth will only hurt for about 1 day, but I have had it last for a couple of days. When it lasts for more than a day the pain is usually varying in intensity from a dull ache to somebody please shoot me.  I much prefer the 1 day version as the pain usually is not as intense, hurts like crazy, but not to the shoot me stage.

Dennis

[Rena705]

My God girl...I thought I had written your first post myself!!  I have started having pains just like that and only for the last few days.  It may have happened before and I just didn't realize that it was TN but I am sure that is what the problem is with me.  It feels to me like suddenly there is a someone in my mouth with a dull ice pick pressing it really hard on my cheek then moves to my ear and then back to my cheek again.  It is an excrutiating pain that usually makes me cry out and I try to stop but can't and it's embarrasing!  I hope you get some relief from you neuro and that is lasts a long while!

Rena705

[steph74]

I'm in having sx occuring in the opposite order from you.  :-)  When my TN initially presented it was as tooth pain.  I thought I needed a dentist, but then I realized it was about 5 teeth that were hurting, and I thought it unlikely that all the teeth would suddenly go bad at the same time (and my dentist confirmed that my teeth are fine).  Soon after my cheek became involved.

My TN started about 16 months ago and only over the past month or so have I been noticing ear pain.  I wasn't sure if it was TN, but your post makes me think it is.  (Plus, it is too episodic for an ear infection or something.)

I hope your teeth feel better soon.

Stephanie

[ShadowsSister]

Hi Dear Hearts, This post sure has made me feel better. I had all my teeth removed several years ago, and they still hurt as do my ears. Plus my hearing is effected it as if  I am under water and I get awful head aches. Nothing helps.

This has been going on since before I had the spinal meningitis in March and it hasn't stopped. I thought it was caused by the S/M and not the M/S..

I pray for all of you every day and I hope for all our sakes an answer is found soon, because this pain drives me crazy.

Love filled hugs being sent out to all of you
{{{{{~!~}}}} DJ

[Wobbly]

I have had these type of pains and seen Neuros and Dentists and specialists for dentists as the dentist wanted to take out 5 teeth.  All the Drs said it's A Typical Facial pain and cannot give me any Dx as too why I have had these type of pain??

Right now I'm OK and hope the pain doesn't come back.  I didn't get my teeth out...not yet anyway..

take care
wobbly

[Mike_Shuswap]

Hi Michelle,

Like others my TN first started as tooth ache like pain, although it always feels like several teeth, and it always moves back and forth between top and bottom left mollars.

A couple weeks ago I felt like I had a left ear infection, but when I had it checked by my Doctor he said "nothing wrong in there, this is likely nerve pain related to your MS"

So I upped my Gabapentin dose to 1200mg per day. Seems to be helping, for now.

I'm going to the dentist for a cleaning and check up the end of June. I hope this won't some how aggravate things......

Mike

[michelleric]

Thank you all for your comments. My tooth pain is not better. I have an appt with my dentist in 2 days.

I go for an MRI tomorrow and will see the neuro after. Perhaps she can give me an opinion on whats going on.

DJ, so nice to see you here. You have been missed, and I do hope your pain is more under control. Big hugs to you.

Thanks again all. Much appreciated.  Michelle