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Question:
I have been having problems with my mouth for 1 year now. I have what you call a phantom toothache. I have had 4 teeth extracted because of this.
It goes from one side of my mouth to the other. It is every day. Basically my question is how to tell the difference between TMJ pain and deep filled cavity pain? I don't know if I should have a root canal or extraction. I know it wouldn't help with TMJ.
I am having pain on the one side where no teeth are high up inside my cheek on the gum. I had surgery where they lifted the gum and did two biopsies. They were normal. Could the surgeon not
have got the right spot? ...Visitor from PA
Answer:
I know you are having a tough time. These kinds of problems can be very difficult to figure out. And we as practitioners are not the ones having to live with the problem.
I have one patient that was originally a patient of my Dad's that lost 8 teeth trying to figure out where the pain was actually coming from. When I got out of dental school I started seeing her as well and referred her to a neurologist. She did not like taking the medication the neurologist put her on but it did stop the pain.
Now almost 20 years later she is stable and does not take the medication any longer.
So all that to tell you that an appropriate referral to a pain management specialist and a neurologist as well as the Oral Surgeon may be in order.
If you were seeing us I would also want to have a close look at your dental conditions and the conditions of your periodontal tissues. If the gums are swollen and inflamed things are tougher. So spend some real good time there.
We would also consider getting you into a splint that would help you to relax the muscles around your face as well.
James Sanderson, DMD
Alabama Teeth In An Hour
Alabama Sedation Dentist
1633 Montgomery Highway
Birmingham, AL 35216
(205) 979-6005
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