Sharp shooting pain in mouth

[Sandieandie]

Hi there I believe I had my first attack of TN the other night. Can someone explain what it is and what triggers it and just because you have it once can it come back. It scared the heck out of me. Please help.

[Hidden]

Hi, TN has to be diagnosed by a specialist through a number of tests. I had what my GP believed to be an episode about a year ago. It was the worst pain I have ever experienced and I've given birth to 2 children and have ankylosing spondylitis - every time the pain started to increase all I could do was sink to the floor and scream. On the pain scale I always put childbirth at 4 (I needed no pain relief during labour) - this was a definite 9. At times I thought I would pass out as it was almost unbearable.

You say the pain was in your mouth but the pain of TN is along the trigeminal nerves - my pain was along my top and bottom jaw, around my eye socket, along one side of my forehead, down my neck and partially around towards the back of my head. It was all on the same side and the pain came in waves. It lasted over 12 hours. I was already taking high doses of naproxen for the AS and that didn't touch the pain. The only relief I could get was with a hot water bottle as hot as I could stand it.

I'd had jaw pain for some time prior to this (about 4 years I think) which the dentist said repeatedly was not caused by any dental problems. 3 days after the TN episode I woke up with a massive lump on my jaw - long story short I had actually cracked my last molar in 2 places that never showed up on X-ray and had a severe infection. I take immune suppressing drugs for the AS and my weakened immune system allowed the infection to develop. I had the tooth out after weeks of antibiotics failed to clear up the infection and I've never had another episode of TN since. I was told the infection fired up the TN nerve, so I didn't have classic TN thank goodness, the infection led to the TN nerve flaring up.

If you suspect TN, speak to your GP - ask that they check your B12 levels (low B12 has an impact on the nervous system). I was prescribed amitryptiline as a first line of treatment - after discussing the tooth issue with my GP we decided I should stay on the amytrip anyway as a precaution. I think you'd have to have a few episodes before they would refer you.

Good luck

[PTSD-Suffer]

Hi, I hope you get better soon. You could have the being of Trigeminal Neuralgia, if you think you do speak to your GP.

nhs.uk/conditions/trigemina...