Posted on 05/21/2011 7:18:30 PM PDT by JBGUSA
This post is a search for the knowledge of the community.
Since December 2000 one of my friends has had pain in the lower left quadrant of my mouth always in one particular tooth. The pain is a dull, deep, gnawing, crushing pain that he describes as being with him 24 hours a day. Its intensity varies, but it is always there. It is completely ruling his life. The pain started with a crown preparation of tooth #20 in December of 2000. After tooth #20 was extracted (July 2003) the pain immediately jumped to tooth #19. Two years later (July 2005), tooth #19 was extracted and the pain immediately jumped to tooth #18. The pain remains in tooth #18. My friend has been diagnosed with a neuropathy of the trigeminal nerve. A mandibular nerve block does NOT block the pain so it appears that there is a Central Nervous System component to the problem.
Because my friend has tried everything that is mainstream, he and his family are not interested in more good doctors, but rather doctors, treatments or patients who have overcome severe chronic pain in some experimental or through some highly unexpected approach. If you have a thought on how to help or put us in touch with someone, please let me know. The beginning of this post is a specific, technical explanation of his condition. Thank you anyone who can offer any suggestions and/or contacts.
Please respond, private message or e-mail to ch11lawyer@yahoo.ca .
JBGUSA
Bill Murry in the waiting room cracks me up.
If a tooth is pulled, don’t they remove the roots with it?
The pain was described as moving from pulled tooth to the tooth beside it, so he was not talking about pain in those teeth. It’s possible to break off a deteriorated tooth while pulling it, though. Some roots go deep. Heard of them going into the sinus cavity before.
Massive sinusitis. This happened to me two years ago. My teeth were klling me and the dentist said he doesn’t see anything. I was taking advil and Tylenol for about 6 months.
Being in Texas and prone to cedar allergies, I went to an allergist. He suggested a cat scan of the head. Turns out I had massive sinusitis. I was put on a very st wrong antibiotic for 14 days, twice a day.
Problem gone.
Is it safe..(:>
The dentist could find nothing wrong with the teeth but he pulled them anyway? Is that what you are saying?
Medical Marijuana, might not stop the pain but he won’t care...
Yeah, pulling two teeth and the problem persisted. That would suggest to me that the problem is something else. I have been there. I too had a tooth pulled for nothing. Dentist even said he saw nothing wrong with the tooth but pulled it anyway! lol And that wasn’t the problem. I’ve been told though that pain in the upper part of the mouth can be a transferred pain from below. I just think they need to look elsewhere and the sinus’ are as good a place as any to start.
PM Sent
I didn't read all the posts, so I don't know if these were mentioned, but since you said it was neuropathy of the trigeminal nerve, and has a CNS component, I'll mention some things that work for MS patients with TN (trigeminal neuralgia.)
Drugs that sometimes work are anti-epileptics like Neurontin, or Tegretol...or low dose of Klonopin.
Regular pain meds won't do much for a CNS pain problem.
We ended up going to another dentist who had to redo all of the work that the previous dentist had done on my wife. He basically saved my wife's mouth. Our previous dentist was an old quack. After our new dentist confronted the previous dentist, the new dentist's office burned down shortly afterward in an arson fire.
My wife's mouth has been pain free for the last 15 years now. Previously she had been through excruciating pain every day. I hope your friend finds someone who can help him.
OK. We agree upon that.
I’ve mentioned clove oil, garlic oil and even raw fresh garlic. They’re anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and have been known to offer relief for tooth pain.
I’m not the only one to mention clove oil. I was under the impression that the OP was not seeking conventional medicine since those avenues had been all but exhausted, but another FReeper brought up neurontin/gabapentin.
That’s a good one for nerve pain in general. I had a prescription for it during a bout of shingles two years ago and found it helpful, even if I was surprised that it made me light-headed ... not a side effect generally associated with the drug.
What assistance do you have to offer?
I assume he’s had MRI/CAT scans to determine that his Trigeminal Nerve isn’t being compressed by a tumor & his Dr’s have ruled out an operable cause for his condition or another disease process causing it.
Aside from pain meds, Botox and electro neuro stimulators are used for pain.
He should do research himself online and consult a neurologist and/or Dr specializing in pain management.
That they find the source of the problem. Pain meds are only going to mask the problem. Its a temporary fix. Granted, in this case temporary is good, but not enough.
We’ve been through some bad dentists ourselves over the years. We haven’t even gone to a dentist for the past 5 years because of it.
I take Lyrica for Fibromyalgia. Has changed my life.
Sometimes you’re stuck with neuropathy, when there is no detectable source of the problem.
Idiopathic neuropathy. My late father had it in his feet, and he was not diabetic. Evening primrose oil, EPO, pharmaceutical grade, helped him find some relief, whether it was temporarily masked or not, mattered not.
also sounds like a migraine fix that I use. Is this similar in nature?
Glad I read to your post at least, that was the same suggestion I was going to make if that was one missed by “everything mainstream”. Really, a pain doc vs. just a neurologist can make all the difference in the world also.
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