Hi kdodrill,

Okay, thanks for sharing that information.

So to summarize what you have described in your past dental history, you have had extensive dental problems and oral surgery. Many times our body does not develop or show physical symptoms of an ongoing problem until that problem becomes severe and/or more widespread. So those issues may be in part or the cause of what is happening to you since June 2014.

I assume that your teeth were in poor condition prior to having them extracted. Perhaps you had rampant tooth decay and/or periodontal disease that went untreated or was treated unsuccessfully? Perhaps you even had some extensive restorative dental work like crowns or root canals prior to the teeth being removed?

The bacterias that cause oral infections in our teeth and gums is very progressive and it can linger in our bones and blood even after the teeth are removed. It can be difficult to eradicate oral infections if they had been severe and/or present for a long time. Again, physical symptoms of a chronic infection like this can be delayed for weeks, months even years sometimes. An example of delayed symptoms would be in someone who is suddenly diagnosed with diabetes or heart disease. Neither of those things occur overnight but the symptoms do not usually appear until the problem has progressed. Also sometimes the symptoms seem so far fetched from what the actual problem really is which makes it seem like the problem suddenly occurred. I hope I explained that okay.. let me know.

Another point here is your dentures. Did you have full mouth extractions and immediate top and bottom dentures put in? Or did you have a tooth here and there extracted over time and then one day have dentures made? Are you still wearing the original pair of dentures?

When someone has a full set of dentures, the shape and support of their natural arch eventually collapses because there is nothing in the bone to hold everything in place. Healthy teeth actually hold the bone firmly in place and prevent it from receding. Unhealthy teeth, depending on the circumstances, have less hold on the bone and bone loss occurs. The time frame for this deterioration to occur depends on the condition of the teeth and gums prior to the extraction of them. It also depends on the sequence the teeth were extracted, over what period of time they were removed and how soon the dentures were placed after the extractions. Age and overall bone health are also important factors.

If your dentures are ill fitting, even just worn down, your poor occlusion (bite) can be irritating and inflaming specific muscles, nerves and tendons in your head and face. This would account for sharp, searing pain... dull pain... intermittent pain... referred pain ... and tenderness like a bruise as the inflammation never really settles completely causing blood to pool in certain areas. The pain could be ignited just by biting your dentures together in a certain way which touches an inflamed nerve and sets things off. You may not even be aware that you are doing this. Do you wear your dentures to sleep at night or remove them?

Have you seen your dentist within the last year or so? I would suggest that you consult with him, explain your symptoms and have a panoramic xray done of your upper and lower jaws in their entirety.

The twitching at night, could be you grinding your dentures or jaws together during your sleep and it hits against an irritated nerve area and sends a jolt through your body.

Something else that comes to my mind.... it's not unusual for denture patients who have pain similar to yours to have some pieces of un-extracted pieces of teeth floating around in the bone which decide to move to a spot that irritates a nerve. This is why the panoramic xray can be helpful. Not all general dentists have this xray equipment so you may have to see an oral surgeon.

What are your thoughts on what I have given you so far?

Bryanna