Cleo,

Electrocuted? You mean you had a painful sensation like an electrical shock during the injection and during the removal of the tooth? As that is what it feels like when the injection or anything touches that nerve directly.

The 3rd molar does not have to be impacted for the nerve to be involved. The tooth just needs to be located in close proximity to the nerve. In some people the roots of their lower posterior teeth are closer to the mandibular canal which contains these nerves more so than other people. In some people the mandibular canal is wider or higher than normal and this can be a problem when extracting or performing dentistry on the lower posterior teeth. But generally it is the lower 3rd molars that are most problematic as they can be oddly angled or located much closer to the canal than the other teeth.

Dental implants can be problematic in the lower jaw if there is not enough height and width of healthy bone to support the implant and keep it high enough away from the mandibular canal.

The same principal applies for root canaled teeth. When a lower tooth is root canaled, especially a posterior tooth, the bacteria from that non vital tooth travels through the root tip of the tooth and the first place it's going to enter is the mandibular canal. Unfortunately, this specific problem is most often not diagnosed properly or early enough to prevent irritation to the trigeminal nerve.

Thanks for sharing your story here. Perhaps it will be helpful to someone at some time.

Bryanna

Byanna, Yes explosions of electrical shock sensations is exactly what it feels like when the nerve is hit.