[HeadPain]

Hi all,

I posted this on the Occipital Neuralgia (ON) forum, but it was suggested I re-post here.

I've been diagnosed with Occipital Nerualgia. The pain in the back left side of my head started after a root canal re-treatment of an upper molar on the left side.

I've been living with it for about a year. I tried two types of pain blocks, a couple of drugs, but I started getting more pain near my tooth. My neurologist sent me back to my endodontist (root canal doc). He started to re-treat one of the roots. My tooth pain and my ON pain increased after this re-re-treatment and I'm going to get the tooth extracted in 2 days.

Has anyone here had ON start after root canals or dental work?

[Bryanna]

Hi HeadPain,

By now you have had the tooth extracted..... how are you? What is the prognosis given by the oral surgeon?

Bryanna

Originally Posted by HeadPain

Hi all,

I posted this on the Occipital Neuralgia (ON) forum, but it was suggested I re-post here.

I've been diagnosed with Occipital Nerualgia. The pain in the back left side of my head started after a root canal re-treatment of an upper molar on the left side.

I've been living with it for about a year. I tried two types of pain blocks, a couple of drugs, but I started getting more pain near my tooth. My neurologist sent me back to my endodontist (root canal doc). He started to re-treat one of the roots. My tooth pain and my ON pain increased after this re-re-treatment and I'm going to get the tooth extracted in 2 days.

Has anyone here had ON start after root canals or dental work?

[HeadPain]

Hi Bryanna,

Yes, I had the tooth extracted along with another one on the other side of my mouth, so I have a nifty comparison of pain. The one with the old root canal hurts a lot more, but they put some bone putty or dust (or something like that) in the socket to prep for an implant in the future.

I'm still recovering. Still on pain meds along with anti-inflamatory drugs and antibiotics. I've been back for a check up by the oral surgeon and he says they both look good and to "hang in there". I'll get the stitches out in a week.

The Occipital Neuralgia was up and down. I just had a terrible day with it today, then all of a sudden, it just stopped. I also had really low energy. Now the OC pain is starting back up again, but at a low level.

So, I'm still in the wait and see mode. Generally, the doctors don't make a connection between the OC and the root canal.

Thanks for your response.

Originally Posted by Bryanna

Hi HeadPain,

By now you have had the tooth extracted..... how are you? What is the prognosis given by the oral surgeon?

Bryanna

[Bryanna]

Hi HeadPain,

I'm glad you removed the unhealthy teeth and hopefully everything will heal well.

The bone putty or dust that you stated they put in the socket of the root canaled tooth to help prepare for a future implant was probably a bone graft material. That area may take longer to heal than the other tooth because the health of the bone was compromised from the tooth being root canaled. The bone around root canaled teeth always has some degree of necrosis, bacteria, infection and ischemia going on due to the disease present in them and due to the lack of vitality in them as well.

I would be surprised if the OC pain stopped completely at this point. Anything that involves nerves, especially if the nerves have been irritated for any length of time, it takes time for the nerve to regenerate completely. Sometimes there are extenuating circumstances that slow it down and sometimes the nerves only heal to a point. But hopefully you have removed the culprit of the irritation and you will have a full recovery!!

Yes, you are right in that many dentists and physicians (especially those in the conventional realm) do not make the correlation between non vital root canaled teeth and neuralgia problems. There are so many people dealing with dental related neuralgia so you would think that the problem would be dealt with differently. It's a complicated condition and until the dental profession accepts the fact that teeth and oral health are intricately connected to every other aspect of the body, I'm afraid there will be a lot more suffering.

Are you supplementing with anything to help repair the nerves? Things like B vitamins, alpha lipoic acid, vitamin C.... any interest in doing that?

Bryanna

Originally Posted by HeadPain

Hi Bryanna,

Yes, I had the tooth extracted along with another one on the other side of my mouth, so I have a nifty comparison of pain. The one with the old root canal hurts a lot more, but they put some bone putty or dust (or something like that) in the socket to prep for an implant in the future.

I'm still recovering. Still on pain meds along with anti-inflamatory drugs and antibiotics. I've been back for a check up by the oral surgeon and he says they both look good and to "hang in there". I'll get the stitches out in a week.

The Occipital Neuralgia was up and down. I just had a terrible day with it today, then all of a sudden, it just stopped. I also had really low energy. Now the OC pain is starting back up again, but at a low level.

So, I'm still in the wait and see mode. Generally, the doctors don't make a connection between the OC and the root canal.

Thanks for your response.

[HeadPain]

Hi Bryanna,

No instant relief, dang it. But its been two weeks and the extraction sites are feeling a lot better. I just started taking Amitriptyline (10 mg) to calm the ON. The low dose is to get me used to it, then the plan is to increase the dose to 25 mg to see if that will stop the cycle of the nerves firing. I've been taking Vitiman C, some B vitamins, but what is alpha lipoic acid? I never thought about nerve "damage" before-- always just thought about the nerves being activated. Hmmm. Thanks for your input.

[Bryanna]

Hi HeadPain,

Instant relief would be miraculous but I really do wish that had happened for you!

Being on the meds will make it hard to know if you are gaining improvement. I hope they just keep you on a low dose and then hopefully with some healing time you are able to wean off of it.

Think of the nerves as being irritated or stimulated causing them to fire randomly and with intensity. So now that the irritants are removed, the body needs to rescue those nerves and convince them to calm down. Certain supplements will help the body to do that.

The supplements...

The B vitamin that I personally use and recommend to clients because I feel it contains an excellent combination of top quality ingredients is:

"Thorne, B Complex 12". B vitamins are water soluble which means we do not retain what we do not utilize. So it is safe to take large doses of B's especially during times of trauma, sickness or when the body needs to be rescued. This product recommends 1-3 capsules daily. So when under stress or during times of "healing" taking 3 caps a day would be helpful until the stress or injury passes. Space them out, one at breakfast, at lunch and then dinner.

Ingredient list:

Thiamin (as Thiamin HCI) 40mg / 2‚667%
Riboflavin (25mg as Riboflavin and 3.6mg as Riboflavin 5'-Phosphate Sodium) 28.6mg / 1‚682%
Niacin (as Niacinamide) 80mg / 400%
Vitamin B6 (20mg as Pyridoxine HCI and 3.4mg as Pyridoxal 5'-Phosphate) 23.4mg / 1‚170%
Folate 400mcg / 100%
(200mcg as Calcium Folinate and 200mcg as L-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate from L-5-Methyltetrahycrofolic Acid‚ Glucosamine Salt)
Vitamin B12 (300mcg as Adenosylcobalamin and 300mcg as Methylcobalamin) 600mcg / 10‚000%
Biotin 80mcg / 27%
Pantothenic Acid (as Calcium Pantothenate) 45mg / 450%
Choline Citrate 40mg / *

R Alpha Lipoic Acid RALA) is an antioxidant that helps repair and improve nerve function. The "R" type is the active form of alpha lipoic acid so the body readily accepts and absorbs it better than a non active form. A good brand is Vital Nutrients.

I purchase some supplements and food online from pureformulas.com because their prices are great and no shipping charges!

Bryanna

Originally Posted by HeadPain

Hi Bryanna,

No instant relief, dang it. But its been two weeks and the extraction sites are feeling a lot better. I just started taking Amitriptyline (10 mg) to calm the ON. The low dose is to get me used to it, then the plan is to increase the dose to 25 mg to see if that will stop the cycle of the nerves firing. I've been taking Vitiman C, some B vitamins, but what is alpha lipoic acid? I never thought about nerve "damage" before-- always just thought about the nerves being activated. Hmmm. Thanks for your input.

[HeadPain]

Hi Bryanna,

Thanks for the specifics about the nerve healing and the supplements. I'll give them a try and up my B vitamins.

Currently, I'm taking "Emergency" which has Vit. C and B vitamins, but I see the amounts you list are up to 100 times more than what I've been taking.

Yes, I have a low dose of meds. I'm currently at 30 mg/day. I really don't like taking them, but I'm grateful for a break at the end of the day escape into sleep for about 10 hrs.

Had a big week traveling back east for my husband's family reunion (stress,even though his family is great, need more B vit!), but I'm back to work now and back to yoga and pilates, which really seem to help. I'm a big believer in the body healing itself

Thanks again for the specifics and I'll let you know how it goes.

Love and light to you,
Melanie

Originally Posted by Bryanna

Hi HeadPain,

Instant relief would be miraculous but I really do wish that had happened for you!

Being on the meds will make it hard to know if you are gaining improvement. I hope they just keep you on a low dose and then hopefully with some healing time you are able to wean off of it.

Think of the nerves as being irritated or stimulated causing them to fire randomly and with intensity. So now that the irritants are removed, the body needs to rescue those nerves and convince them to calm down. Certain supplements will help the body to do that.

The supplements...

The B vitamin that I personally use and recommend to clients because I feel it contains an excellent combination of top quality ingredients is:

"Thorne, B Complex 12". B vitamins are water soluble which means we do not retain what we do not utilize. So it is safe to take large doses of B's especially during times of trauma, sickness or when the body needs to be rescued. This product recommends 1-3 capsules daily. So when under stress or during times of "healing" taking 3 caps a day would be helpful until the stress or injury passes. Space them out, one at breakfast, at lunch and then dinner.

Ingredient list:

Thiamin (as Thiamin HCI) 40mg / 2‚667%
Riboflavin (25mg as Riboflavin and 3.6mg as Riboflavin 5'-Phosphate Sodium) 28.6mg / 1‚682%
Niacin (as Niacinamide) 80mg / 400%
Vitamin B6 (20mg as Pyridoxine HCI and 3.4mg as Pyridoxal 5'-Phosphate) 23.4mg / 1‚170%
Folate 400mcg / 100%
(200mcg as Calcium Folinate and 200mcg as L-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate from L-5-Methyltetrahycrofolic Acid‚ Glucosamine Salt)
Vitamin B12 (300mcg as Adenosylcobalamin and 300mcg as Methylcobalamin) 600mcg / 10‚000%
Biotin 80mcg / 27%
Pantothenic Acid (as Calcium Pantothenate) 45mg / 450%
Choline Citrate 40mg / *

R Alpha Lipoic Acid RALA) is an antioxidant that helps repair and improve nerve function. The "R" type is the active form of alpha lipoic acid so the body readily accepts and absorbs it better than a non active form. A good brand is Vital Nutrients.

I purchase some supplements and food online from pureformulas.com because their prices are great and no shipping charges!

Bryanna

[Bryanna]

Hi Melanie,

Yes, the Thorne B vitamin complex #12 that I recommended is of excellent quality and very readily absorbed by most people. It may help more than you think

Regarding the emergen-c supplements, to be honest there are much better quality sources of vitamins on the market. That product contains a lot of unnecessary sugars and fillers, none of which are healthy nutrients....
Other Ingredients: Frucotse, citric acid, natural orange flavors, malic acid, orange juice powder, tapioca maltodextrin, silica, beta carotene, glycine, aspartic acid, tartaric acid, and cysteine hydrochloride.

If your goal is to hopefully get some permanent relief and nerve repair from the supplements then the quality of the supplement does matter as they are not all created equal. A great vitamin C supplement is Perque C Guard.

http://www.perque.com/products-page/...-guard-powder/

Hope you find improvement with each day!!

Bryanna

Originally Posted by HeadPain

Hi Bryanna,

Thanks for the specifics about the nerve healing and the supplements. I'll give them a try and up my B vitamins.

Currently, I'm taking "Emergency" which has Vit. C and B vitamins, but I see the amounts you list are up to 100 times more than what I've been taking.

Yes, I have a low dose of meds. I'm currently at 30 mg/day. I really don't like taking them, but I'm grateful for a break at the end of the day escape into sleep for about 10 hrs.

Had a big week traveling back east for my husband's family reunion (stress,even though his family is great, need more B vit!), but I'm back to work now and back to yoga and pilates, which really seem to help. I'm a big believer in the body healing itself

Thanks again for the specifics and I'll let you know how it goes.

Love and light to you,
Melanie