Pain above molar teeth that runs across jaw and left side of head.

[weird_pain]

Hi,

I have been suffering from an ache above my top molar teeth on my left hand side.

I have had the pain on a few occasions over the last few years which have always cleared up after 5-10 days. My dentist never found a problem but gave me antibiotics a couple of times in case it was a sinus infection. After a few bouts of the pain I never new if they did anything as the pain always went after the same period of time with or without antibiotics.

In September I experienced the same pain however it became more of a throbbing pain.

I visited several dentists who all said they could not find anything.

My doctor just said it was a sinus issue so live with it and wait for an ENT referral which may happen at the end of 2023!

So far I have tried 3 weeks of antibiotics along with the strongest painkillers you can buy, all have had no effect.

I went back to my dentist as I had been suffering for 2 months and he compared an old and new x ray and said I have a crack in my molar root. The only option was extraction so that’s what I did.

2 weeks later the extraction pain has gone and the ache and pain is still there. I now know this was not the cause!

I was referred to the Liverpool Dentistry hospital who found no issue with my teeth but suggested I have scans for facial migraines, sinusitis and a 3d X-ray of a tooth to make sure there is no crack in it.

I am now waiting on appointments for these but they will most likely be well into 2023.

I have tried sinus flushes, prescribed nasal sprays and antihistamines but nothing seems to work. I am also not bunged up or suffering any congestion issues with my nose etc.

The pain I feel is as if something is pulling at the root/nerves of my upper teeth.

When the dull aching feeling lasts for a long period of time, say 4 hours, the pain then radiates down my jaw and then up the left hand side of my head. My head and left hand side of face then feels sensitive to touch.

I occasionally get a bit of ear pain and the odd twinging in teeth but not very often.

The ache is almost constant but it is usually at its worst during the afternoon/evening.

The strange/fortunate part is that the only time the pain/ache is not bothering me is when I lye down and go to sleep.

This has been going on for 3 1/2 months now and is really starting to affect my life as the ache is on my mind all day every day.

I would really appreciate any help/advice on my issues and if anyone has experienced similar problems.

[RoadRunner44]

Just a thought, my husband had very similar experience. They eventually found he had trigeminal neuralgia and had to have a number of operations. He said he had never experienced pain like it and at times wanted to die, He tried every pain relief and only morphine helped but made him constantly sleepy. I do hope you get answers as living constantly with pain is a life changer. Good luck.

[weird_pain in reply to RoadRunner44]

Hi,

Thanks for your response.

My doctor has suggested it may be trigeminal neuralgia and has asked me to see how my symptoms compare.

Can I ask if your husband experienced an almost constant ache pain like me or if he experienced sharp stabbing pains like many descriptions would suggest on the internet?

Also how did your husband finally get diagnosed, did he have an MRI scan etc?

Thanks

[RoadRunner44 in reply to weird_pain]

Hello again, My husband died many years ago. He just was referred to a specialist who after trying various drugs suggested he have something called........Thermocoagulation. its better if you go on line to read up on it. You may also check..... stereotactic radiosurgery which is supposedly the latest treatment.

I hope you have help as my husband spent years of pain as the TN kept returning and he found the pain almost unbeatable.

[RoadRunner44 in reply to weird_pain]

I forgot to add he had the ache in his jaw most days and the slightest breeze on his face would start the stabbing pains. He had lpainfree spells but it always returned. The operation gave him long spells of freedom from the pain but he had to keep having the same operation. Three in all. He eventually developed cancer and died Sadly even when pain free he was never confident the TN was completely cured. I wish I could put your mind at rest and say all was eventually fine. Do everything in your power to get it sorted, you only have one life.

[weird_pain in reply to RoadRunner44]

Hi,

Thanks again for your response and I’m sorry to hear about your husband.

I will be sure to research the various medications and treatments you have mentioned and continue to monitor my symptoms.

It seems a lot of people suffering with trigeminal neuralgia have bursts of sharp pain caused by something. As of yet I am struggling to find a trigger for my pain/ache, it just always seems to be there.

The fact I am not getting short bursts of sharp pain makes me question what it really is.

Thanks again for taking your time to respond.

[SouthernSally]

Another thought but has your jaw been checked out? A doctor or dentist might look at your bite and the motion involved. I don't know if x rays can show jaw issues but I think an MRI would. You might view TMJ exercises on YouTube. Dr Jo (ask Dr Jo is the channel.) is good. You have nothing to lose.

[weird_pain in reply to SouthernSally]

Thanks for your reply,

I have been trying those jaw exercises you mention and I have noticed massaging the jaw does slightly help ease/distract me from the pain at the time but has not stopped the regularity of the ache/pain.

I was tested at the dental hospital for signs of TMJ but they did not find anything.

I have been referred for an MRI and CT scan to look for signs of Facial Migraines and Sinus issues but as everyone who is currently awaiting some form of treatment knows, the waiting list is as long as a piece of string!

The only thing I know is that the ache is apparent from the minute I get up out of bed in the morning. The severity of the ache ranges from a 2/10 which is basically a distraction in the background to an 8/10 which is when it traces down my jaw and up the side of my head causing me to lose focus on everything apart from the dull ache pain.

There does not seem to be a trigger for when the pain is worse

The only thing that happens every night is the pain goes away when I go to sleep.

Thanks again for any feedback and suggestions.

[Mel07914 in reply to weird_pain]

Hi, I suffered pretty much the same pain and symptoms as you and so many trips to the dentists and ENT for years. The pain and toothache was crippling. I had a private MRI scan which shows a blood vessel pressing against the trigeminal nerve. After trying a number of drugs which didn’t help, the pain clinic put me on Pregabalin. It changed my life and as I gradually increased the dose the pain reduced by 60 - 70%. Stress and tiredness makes it worse but this medication and relaxation exercises have made a huge difference. I wish you the best, whether you follow my path or another.

[weird_pain in reply to Mel07914]

Hi, thanks for responding.

My symptoms like yours appear to reduce when relaxing or sleeping.

Taking a shower/heat or lying down seems to help most.

As for triggers, I’m not 100% sure but stress and noise certainly don’t help my symptoms.

Thanks again for sharing your experience.

[koffeekat99]

Hi. There’s a few different types of pain that this could be which will need to be confirmed through the tests you’re waiting for.

Trigeminal Neuralgia is probably the more well known, but as you say the symptoms of TN are intermittant. There are other conditions that affect the trigeminal nerve which might be more consistent with your symptoms.

The management and treatments available are sometimes the same though.

Have you had a referral to Pain Management yet? I was referred there without a confirmed diagnosis. So when I eventually got to see a neutologist I’d already found a treatment in pain mgt that was helping. The neurologist just said keep doing that if it’s helping.

The cause of mine was pretty clear. My trigeminal nerve had been damaged and we knew when it happened. I have acupuncture to keep the pain at a more manageable level.

I hope you find a way to manage this. I wasn’t able to have acupuncture during Covid restrictions and wow did that remind me why I keep going to those appts every 6 weeks. So relieved when they restarted in January.

[weird_pain]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.

I have been prescribed Amitrityline 10mg by my doctor to help with the pain.

I’m 7 days in and haven’t really noticed any difference with the ache. I believe the next step is to double the dose and even triple it if needed.

Listening to your experience I’m starting to wonder if a head injury I suffered about 15 years ago above my left eye could be a possible cause.

Basically I had a heavy impact from a blunt object just above my left eye brow which split my head open, put me in hospital and required several stitches (building site accident).

I will certainly look into your suggestion of acupuncture as I’m willing to try anything.

Thanks again.