trigeminal hypersensitivity?!?!?

[worried76374]

I am looking for some help and guidance. I have posted several questions in regards to my situation. 3 months ago I had a routine dental cleaning. 1 week later I had a 24 hours virus, and flew on a cross country flight. the following week when i got home from my trip, I was struck with sudden, severe shooting pain in my teeth on the right side. Within 1 week, the pain had spread to my entire set of teeth. The pain was so severe, I could not get out of bed. I was seeing several white and black spots in front of my eyes. I went to the dentist who could not find any dental caries. I went to the eye doctor who cleared me of any visual problems. The pain spread to my cheeks and above my eyebrows. I also had strange sensations such as crawling on the bridge of my nose, and tingling in my left cheek.

I went to Mass General and had an MRI/MRA, thin sliced. No vessels abutting either nerve, no evidence of intrinsic abnormality of either trigeminal nerve. Seen by a neuro, Dx'd initially with migraines. Migraines abated but teeth pain remained. Migraines came after teeth and face pain!

Went to a neurosurgeon for a 2nd opinion. He told me I did not have TN, but I did have trigeminally mediated pain. I recently saw my neuro last week. He told me I do not have a neuropathy, I do not have nerve injury. I have normal nerves. I have "trigeminal hypersensitivity".

I am taking Nortriptyline 50mg and Tegretol at 400mg. My neuro wants me off the Tegretol because he says it is not helping me.

Could someone please tell me what trigeminal mediated pain and trigeminal sensitivity means? What causes it? I am a healthy female who 3 months ago got hit with this pain. I have finally experienced some relief in my mouth over the last couple of weeks, it seems the pain is lessening, but it is by no means gone. I still see spots in front of my eyes, but only one or two compared to the dozens I used to see in the beginning.

Could a routine dental cleaning be responsible for all this? It seems my neuro wants to focus on pain management but I need to understand why this is happening to me. It does not make sense what is happening to me.

Thanks in advance.