I was diagnosed with TN in April 2003. I thought the same thing - dental problems - but I was fortunate as well because my doctor diagnosed the TN right away.

The unfortunate part for me was that he put me on amitriplyne and I didn't know that another medication would work better - for me. The 4 years I was on amitriplyne, were the worse years of my life. Finally, I went to a new doctor and told them to put me on carbomazapine (sp?) because I couldn't handle the pain any longer. It worked really well for me - I was able to function much better.

I still had the pain, but certainly not as bad.

In March of 2008, I decided to go for the Balloon Compression. I was very fortunate in that the pain went away immediately and I've been pain-free since. There is a 40% chance it will come back, but I will just go back in for the same procedure.

I wish your husband all the best and I hope his meds work for him. If not, remember there are other alternatives.

Good luck!