Unexplained tooth pain

queasyrider_2

I went back to the dentist last Tuesday (19th) and explained to him that the rearmost tooth of the three that are playing me up was now defintely toothache, It had become more of a constant throbbing ache. He seemed doubtful as i'd had 2 xrays done by 2 different dentists but i was insistent and he xrayed it again and as the tooth in question was just a small wisdom tooth that'd be hard to work on as most of it was below the surface agreed to anaesthetise it and if the pain ceased then he'd take it out. He took the tooth out and there, Despite 3 x-rays was a hole where the tooth closely joined the next one. After a week or so of soreness during which time i was hopeful that this was the end of my woes the twinges in the other two teeth have now started again and i'm at a loss what to do now. Regards Derek

shellyruby

Queasyrider, im sorry you are suffering like this, ive had trigeminal neuralgis for a year this december, I will explain the exact pain so you can compare, mine started with a tingling in the face then it was like electric shocks in my face, this happenedvon and off for a while then it was like a grinding in my face, teeth, gums, jaw line and ear, at its worst it is like your worst toothache plus it a million and it still dosent come near the pain, now it is constant in my teeth and gums, its like tiny pinpricks constantly, some days its really calm other days I have to go to bed because I cant bear to be awake in the pain, meds have helped deaden the nerve and im waiting for surgery, I wouldntvwish this on anyone, the pain is horrific, I went to constant dentists trying to find out what was wrong and always nothing, had a sinus op because they thought it was that, finally an ear nose and throat consultant diagnosed me.so many people have have teeth pulled forno need when the toothache is TN (trigeminal neuralgia).also there are different variations, it can start with the electric shock type twingey pain then later progresses to constant teeth and jaw pain.anything can trigger it,wind, brushing teeth but mainly air con, the electri . Shock type is TN 1 the constant ache is TN2, I have both, meds have helped me greatly but I spent 3 months in agony being misdiagnosed, but its rare diseas, there is a way to discount TN and that is if you speak ro your gp and disuss the possibility of this, he will try you on anti seizure med to calm the nerve, if it works then it usually means TN, the differentnforms are that people can have one attack and not have anothernfornweeks, months or even years or that the attacksmare dailynandnfrequent or like myntype it manfests as constant pain in the teeth and jaw and is hard to pinpoint which tooth or teeth, if youndo have it you learn to live with it and meds help and there is surgery..gps dont know hardlynanything about it and until it is diagnosed and sent to a neurologist it is very frustrating, hopefully this is not the case for you but youncan speak to gp and discount it by trying anti seizure meds,I dont want ypu to suffer undiagnosed like I did if it is the case.

Ladywriter1968

queasyrider wrote: »

Up until a year or so ago I suffered with sensitivity in my upper teeth when drinking anything hot or cold.

I visit the dentist every 6 months and i always pointed this out to him and he would tell me to use a sensitive toothpaste and to brush carefully. After a while of doing this the sensitivity would wear off for and all would be fine until it started again. This hasn't happened for ages now.

Earlier this year i started getting a different type of pain in my upper teeth, Mostly on the left but sometimes on the right or the front ones. This was a sharp stab of pain that was intermittent and quite bad but was controllable with ibruprofen and paracetamol & codeine until such time as i could get an appointment with the dentist. 0n every occasion he'd test them for sensitivity by applying a cold spray to the teeth and tapping it with the end of one of his instruments but there was no sensitivity so i'd go back to the pain killers and after a while the pain subsided and i'd stop taking the painkillers.

In June this year i flew to Spain for a 2 week holiday and home again without any problem. In July the pain started again worse than ever, I went to see my dentist again, and again he could find nothing wrong and this time he actually took an x-ray of my left hand upper teeth which showed no damage.

After a while of taking painkillers again the pain wore off and all was well again.

On 3rd September I flew to Spain again for 4 weeks as a retirement present for myself and all was well until the plane started to climb at which time my teeth started hurting worse than ever, It literally felt like they were going to explode. I'm presuming that it was due to the pressurization of the cabin which caused it but whatever caused it, It was agony and i resigned myself to spending a month in the sun with a diet of paracetamol & codeine alternated with Ibuprofen surely it can't get any worse than this? That is of course until I went to the local Farmacia to stock up on paracetamol & codeine only to be told that they don't sell them without a prescription. After a week of this there was no improvement so i decided there was no option but to find an English speaking dentist and get checked out. This turned out to be more complicated than i thought but i did eventually get an appointment.

Dr Mark Rosasco is an English speaking Danish dentist practising in Spain, He had a good look around, Took an x-ray and confirmed that i had no cavities or work needed and suggested it'd be a good idea to visit the hygenist for a good clean.

A few days Iater i went to the hygenist who spent at least half an hour Poking, Scraping, Cleaning and polishing, none of which started them hurting. I now have nice clean gnashers but still have the pain.

I was dreading flying home on 1st October and even considered travelling back by train but was put off by the fact it would cost over £400, and as part of it is between Malaga and Madrid which takes 2 hours and travels at almost 300 mph i'd imagine that there will be some kind of pressurisation of the carriage which will probably be just as bad.

I made it home and made an appointment with my doctors surgery but to be honest I don't think they have a clue what to make of it but put me on 2 weeks of antibiotics (doxycycline) and after taking them for a week the only effect they have had is to make me even more familiar with the smallest room in my flat. I am concerned that whereas in the past the pain has gradually disappeared after a week or two at most and the painkillers have been gradually reduced and eventually stopped completely this time it hasn't gone after 6 weeks and i'm more than a little worried about the effect that taking the maximum allowed dose of both Ibuprofen and Paracetamol and codeine will be doing to my system and also that they are not very effective.

What I can't understand is that previously the pain seemed to come on for no apparent reason and after a week or two of pain killers it gradually stopped. When I left home on 3rd September i had no pain whatsoever but it started hurting worse than ever when the plane took off and it took longer than usual to stop (4 weeks) but when i left Spain to return home i was once again virtually pain free but i knew that i wouldn't be by the time i got in the air and this proved to be the case.

Since I returned home on 1st October i've visited my dentist who doesn't have any idea what is causing the pain. I've also seen my doctor 3 times who has tried one course of antibiotics, One course of steroidal nose drops and 2 different anti depresant tablets( Amitrityline & Duloxatine). I tried one of each of these and they made me feel far worse than the toothache. I'm currently waiting for an appointment at the ENT department of the Queen Alexandra Hospital Portsmouth. The earliest appointment i could get is December 31st. To be honest i don't have any great expectations as it would seem that we're just going through the motions. Surely there must be someone who can tell me whats wrong and get it sorted out.

Regards

Culpepper

Trigeminal Neuralgia is a condition which affects the nerve endings in the gum jawline and face. I was diagnosed with this before after having unexplained tooth ache when nothing was wrong, my dentist said I believe this is what you have, he told me to see my GP and get an extra done and this I did, and it was discovered that I have this, I massage my face to help if it aches but there can be mild or severe forms of this, to my belief there is no real cure but if you have toothache which is ok but wont go away, be careful not to end up having it out and then the pain will go to next tooth and next, when the teeth are not sick. So if your dentist has not suggested already, suggest and ask, do I have TN 1 or 2 type, you will need to see your GP to confirm this under Xray results.

Ladywriter1968

shellyruby wrote: »

Queasyrider, im sorry you are suffering like this, ive had trigeminal neuralgis for a year this december, I will explain the exact pain so you can compare, mine started with a tingling in the face then it was like electric shocks in my face, this happenedvon and off for a while then it was like a grinding in my face, teeth, gums, jaw line and ear, at its worst it is like your worst toothache plus it a million and it still dosent come near the pain, now it is constant in my teeth and gums, its like tiny pinpricks constantly, some days its really calm other days I have to go to bed because I cant bear to be awake in the pain, meds have helped deaden the nerve and im waiting for surgery, I wouldntvwish this on anyone, the pain is horrific, I went to constant dentists trying to find out what was wrong and always nothing, had a sinus op because they thought it was that, finally an ear nose and throat consultant diagnosed me.so many people have have teeth pulled forno need when the toothache is TN (trigeminal neuralgia).also there are different variations, it can start with the electric shock type twingey pain then later progresses to constant teeth and jaw pain.anything can trigger it,wind, brushing teeth but mainly air con, the electri . Shock type is TN 1 the constant ache is TN2, I have both, meds have helped me greatly but I spent 3 months in agony being misdiagnosed, but its rare diseas, there is a way to discount TN and that is if you speak ro your gp and disuss the possibility of this, he will try you on anti seizure med to calm the nerve, if it works then it usually means TN, the differentnforms are that people can have one attack and not have anothernfornweeks, months or even years or that the attacksmare dailynandnfrequent or like myntype it manfests as constant pain in the teeth and jaw and is hard to pinpoint which tooth or teeth, if youndo have it you learn to live with it and meds help and there is surgery..gps dont know hardlynanything about it and until it is diagnosed and sent to a neurologist it is very frustrating, hopefully this is not the case for you but youncan speak to gp and discount it by trying anti seizure meds,I dont want ypu to suffer undiagnosed like I did if it is the case.

I have this and lucky was diagnosed so didnt end up losing teeth for nothing. my dentist said to see gp for xray, so I did this and alas it was shown. I massage my face if it hurts and it only seems to play up if I try to use that floss that side of my mouth by cleaning. like a slight thumping that side on my gum. I massage my face and it eases. Lucky my dentist diagnosed this, but I guess lots of dentist dont consider it.

Ladywriter1968

Ladywriter1968 wrote: »

I have this and lucky was diagnosed so didnt end up losing teeth for nothing. my dentist said to see gp for xray, so I did this and alas it was shown. I massage my face if it hurts and it only seems to play up if I try to use that floss that side of my mouth by cleaning. like a slight thumping that side on my gum. I massage my face and it eases. Lucky my dentist diagnosed this, but I guess lots of dentist dont consider it.

this day and age all dentists should be clued up on this now. I think its a disgrace if they are not as like you say, you end up suffering and not knowing whats wrong.

Toothsmith

Ladywriter1968 wrote: »

I have this and lucky was diagnosed so didnt end up losing teeth for nothing. my dentist said to see gp for xray, so I did this and alas it was shown. I massage my face if it hurts and it only seems to play up if I try to use that floss that side of my mouth by cleaning. like a slight thumping that side on my gum. I massage my face and it eases. Lucky my dentist diagnosed this, but I guess lots of dentist dont consider it.

I don't understand this at all.

Trigeminal neuralgia doesn't 'show up' on an x-ray! Its a diagnosis of elimination usually. That is, when you've considered all the more likely causes and eliminated them, trigeminal neuralgia is what you're left with. Especially if it isn't an absolutely textbook case, which many aren't.

To give this some context, in my 26 years qualified, I have seen 3 trigeminal neuralgias. I have seen an extra couple of 'atypical facial pains', which, whilst similar, aren't TN, and quite a few very similar symptoms that responded to treatment of TMJ (jaw joint) problems.

It is not as easy as saying ,in this day and age dentists should know about it'. They all almost certainly will!

The problem is that PATIENTS don't!

As we've seen with the OP (who I'm still not saying has TN - its too early to tell) patients are often convinced that THEY KNOW what and where the problem is, and they want tghe dentist to DO something! Never mind that there isn't a visible problem, never mind that nothing shows up on an x-ray, its THIS ONE! Why won't you DO something!

So - the patient often has little 'patience' with the dentist who methodically works through the diagnostic steps in the correct way eliminating things until the correct diagnosis is reached. Instead they give up on the 'useless waste of time'and find someone who they can talk into doing what they want, or give them an antibiotic that might have a placebo effect for a little while.

Then they blame that dentist when the problem keeps coming back, so go off and find another dentist.

Eventually, they will find a dentist who puts together the history of multiple dentists and multiple failures to find the problem, and the diagnosis of TN becomes more likely, and so it then looks like THIS dentist is the miracle worker who 'knows' about TN and sorts it out.

In truth though, if the patient had just stuck it out with the initial slow, methodical dentist, it would probably have been sorted out much sooner.

queasyrider_2

I'm not unhappy with with the treatment I've had from my dentist although as far as he's concerned it is not a dental problem so he isn't looking into anything else as he feels there is nothing wrong with my teeth. The three teeth that were giving me the most problem were very close together and the pain was just twinges followed by tenderness and so on and so on. The end tooth then started to throb quite painfully and felt like a typical toothache. I went back to see him last week and although he was reluctant he extracted the tooth in question and despite three negative xrays there was a hole in it. the soreness from the extraction is more or less gone now and it is now the original 2 teeth that are playing me up.

Everything I’ve read, watched on video or been told about TN has said that it is a really excruciating pain which shoots up the face and comes and goes whereas mine is more of a sharp twinge which is just in my teeth which won’t seem to go away. It seems strange to me that it is the same two teeth that used to be sensitive to hot and cold temperatures up until a couple of years ago but are certainly not now.

I have another appointment with my doctor on the 8th December but as it’s my 4th appointment and 3rd doctor I’m not holding out a lot of hope. Cheers Derek

shellyruby

TN wont show up in an xray.i wish it did.it wouldnt be misdiagnosed so much.took me changing drs to get sent to a neuro and get an MRI .toothsmith wow only 3 cases.thank you your post was very informative.mine took 3 months to diagnose.maybe the other posters were meaning tmj regarding xrays as xrays wont show anything with tn.it is not called tgthe suicide disease for nothing.it is horrific pain.only anti seizure meds will work.painkillers wont work at all.





















Its not the type of pain you can cope with without meds.i thought about sujci

suzeesu2000

You poor soul, whatever it is I hope something can be done to ease your suffering. I know what a pain (no pun intended) sinuses can be to teeth - just had a nasty cold and sinuses caused horrid tooth pain

While checking it was just sinuses, dentist also discovered I am growing a new tooth!! It's almost through the gum now....really exciting as I am 49 and haven't grown a new tooth since I was about 9.

Best wishes to you for a speedy diagosis and recovery.

queasyrider_2

Hi all, Rather than keep clogging this forum with loads of text I've set up a website where Can update my situation as and when anything happens. I've been trying to do this for some years but getting up and going to work got in the way. Now I'm retired I have more time on my hands. I'd intended to do the site to document the travelling that I intended to do but as that is now on the back burner I've dedicated the frontpage to my toothache situation. As my abilities grow I will add to it so please feel free to wander where you wish. Unfortunately I'm not allowed to post the link on here but if you put a .org.uk on the end of my user name you'll get there. thanks and goodnight.