Rare Disease May Lead to Unnecessary Dental Work

Have you ever had a root canal done or a tooth extracted only to find that the pain hasn't gone away?

What many people think is a dental-related problem sometimes proves to be trigeminal neuralgia (TN), a chronic condition that produces severe facial pain. TN is caused when a blood vessel presses on the trigeminal nerve, one of the largest nerves in the head. The result is sudden and extreme pain to the face.

While most physicians and dentists do not believe that dental work can cause TN, it is a possibility that if it is developing, dental work can aggravate the trigeminal nerve and trigger or encourage symptoms.

TN occurs more often in women than men and is more likely to affect people over the age of 50. Initially short, mild attacks are reported but as TN progresses it can cause longer and more frequent period of searing pain. Symptoms of TN include twinges of mild pain, severe shooting or jabbing pain, spontaneous attacks of pain triggered chewing, speaking and teeth brushing, episodes of several attacks lasting several days, pain affecting one side of your face, and attacks becoming more frequent and intense over time.

Because TN is often misdiagnosed as a dental problem, it is important to make sure that your dentist is certain that the cause of your pain is dental-related before undergoing an unnecessary procedure. It is also imperative to inform your dentist if you think you suffer from TN before having dental work done so that your dentist can take precautions against aggravating the trigeminal nerve and worsening pain.

If the symptoms of TN sound familiar and you think you are suffering from it, contact your dentist as soon as possible. TN can be treated with medications, injections and surgery.