Vowel Lady,

Yes.You are right. It has nothing to do with root canaled teeth. My brother talked to the orofacial pain specialist. What she said is really surprising.

The specialist explained to him in layman's terms.
She said that the alveolar nerve tip was possibly compressed and damaged . Since the filling was for 3 months,she says that the nerve there has been trained to act that way. My brother OFTEN tells me he feels as if the filling still exists (the nerves give him that feeling) whereas the tooth has been extracted. The pain specialist told me the nerves have been trained that way .

But I just wonder. For all the 34 years in his life,his nerve was trained to be quiet and how come in 3 months ,it has learnt to create a burning pain for such a long time.

Amit,

I may be able to offer you some insight as to why it's hard to understand how this pain could be "trained" to now occur all of sudden.......

<<But I just wonder. For all the 34 years in his life,his nerve was trained to be quiet and how come in 3 months ,it has learnt to create a burning pain for such a long time>>

Yes, his nerve was silent when his tooth was healthy. However, that all changed when the decay in his tooth became deep enough to reach the pulp tissue. Tooth decay is a bacterial infection and it causes inflammation to occur in the tooth. The progression of tooth decay is fairly slow as it takes weeks, months, and sometimes even years to reach the pulp. As the decay progresses, the tooth becomes more and more inflamed. This inflammation eventually progresses to the nerves extending from the tooth. When the doctor said that the nerve was being trained to react with pain she was referring to the chronic irritation that the inflammation was causing the alveolar nerve. Keeping the tooth for instance with a root canal procedure would have contributed to further infection and further inflammation because that procedure does nothing to repair an inflamed alveolar nerve. Removing the tooth also removed the original source of the problem which is a positive thing as it stopped the progression of bacteria and at least gives the irritated alveolar nerves a chance to get better. However, the surgery to remove the tooth was unavoidably irritating to the already inflamed nerves due to the intricate connection between the tooth and the alveolar nerves.

Ideally his pain will become non existent in a short amount of time. But unfortunately no one can determine the longevity of it and it may not happen all on its own. If "any type" of healing is to occur, it has to come from measures that he takes to purposely repair and rejuvenate the nerves. Not just that nerve, but his nervous system in general as they all work synergistically throughout the body. This is where nutrition and nutrient supplementation comes into the picture. Just taking medications may help but at best that will be short lived and then they will need to be increased or changed. Similarly to what he has experienced with his anti depressant meds in the past. Drugs can be used in combination with a whole body healing program. But he needs to be guided by a practitioner who can take him on a wellness journey for the betterment of his health and one who can also work with the pain management doctor along the way.

I know you understand what I am saying about healing the body and how important healing is in order to be a healthy person as you are trying to do that with yourself.

I truly wish you and your brother all the best.

Hi Amitsa, I suspect, in my case, there was trauma to the nerve by one, possibly more than one dentist.

It's very difficult to say what happened in my case and probably that of your brother's case as well.

It's been my experience that most dentists and even dental professionals like surgeons, have limited experience, education and knowledge when it comes to nerve damage. Sometimes they even become frightened, because they are afraid of lawsuits. All of this together, tends to cause lots of misinformation.

I was very lucky because the last dental professional I saw about my severe nerve pain was an oral surgeon who by luck was also a MD (Medical Doctor). He apologized for the dental profession and told me to see a neurologist.

After it happened, I saw other dentists, but they did not help me and may have made my pain worse. Thank goodness the oral surgeon/MD told me to see neurologist.

My neurologist is wonderful and has helped me greatly.

I don't know why the nerve is causing so much pain for your brother. Trauma is a possibility. Has the neurologist offered an opinion?

I think based on my own treatment and that I have seen with many others, it usually seems to take trial and error with medications and time. Of course, much patience is needed with such bad pain. Whatever you do, don't let him pull any more teeth because of this (unless there is clearly something wrong with the tooth).

I also think taking good vitamins and eating in a healthy manner can lesson severe pain to a certain extent. This pain is too severe to rely on this alone, but every little bit helps. I suspect the nerve might be able to heal or at least partially heal over time, so I'm trying to give my nerve/ body the best environment to heal as best as it is able. I've greatly reduced eating sweets, for example and don't eat junk food. I also eat a LOt of vegetables and drink a lot of,water. Every little bit helps on this road to recovery.

Your brother is very fortunate to have you by his side. I hope he can find a treatment plan that will help him to feel much better. And good thoughts that in time, he will be healed.

There is a section here called "Trigeminal Neuralgia," where you can get more information. Some people have pain that is more "atypical." Sometimes it is called facial neuralgia, etc. but it still involves that extremely bad pain of the Trigeminal nerve in the facial area.

Trigeminal neuralgia is a condition associated with a nerve compressed by a vessel or vein at the brain stem and is not the same as nerve trauma induced by dental infection, procedure, ect...

What was the age of the restoration before cracking off?

I didn't read that burning nerve pain was present prior to the procedure that exposed the pulp. Did the burning nerve pain start when the filling cracked?

Did xray indicate GIC in the pulp chamber or beyond? Did you see the condition of the tooth after it was extracted? Was there bone necrosis?

Cleo,

The age of the restoration before cracking off was 3 years.

There was no burning pain or any pain even slightest when the previously existed filling fell off.

When the dentist removed the existing filling(which was composite) ,she said there was more decay . So she drilled to remove it. My brother said,she hit the nerve while drilling.

She then applied some ozone or something .She used GIC filling over the exposed pulp (or may be near to it) . She said in due course of time,there would be a calcified layer developed above the GIC filling.

Nothing of that sort happened. My brother developed pain within a month in the occipital region on the side of the tooth (left side) so severe he says he cannot describe it. The pain in the occipital region decreased slowly after the tooth was extracted. There is still pain in the occipital region but not severe. It is very less.

No,GIC filling was uptot he start of the pulp chamber but not beyond.
There is no bone necrosis I think. Atleast the OPG done a few months back did not show anything. I know OPG cannot conclusively tell that. A cone beam CT will be required.

The pain in the alveolar nerve just above the tooth is what is bothering .

It is due to trauma to the nerve while drilling and the filling 100%. No doubt abt it. It is burning pain along the path of the nerve.

I myself have never seen such a thing. I am myself surprised.

Regards,
Amit.

I know I am jumping in the middle of this but I have to say that Trauma from dental work dose cause t.n. be it from drilling to deep or tugging to much and digging to retrieve broken off bits tooth BUT ALSO infection that travels from abscessed tooth or even a sinus infection CAN travel all those also be the cause of damage to the Trig nerve and or the occipital nerve .If i have a serious infection I must be very careful and get on antibiotic because if the infection worsens it CAN travel to my leads in my lower jaw and I would have to remove my neuro stim and get rid of infection! This is a fact!!!!! if the burning pain is still affecting Amit's brother I would see a neuro doc if it last more then 3 months. I DO take vit b and vit C and D the vit B mostly for my nerves . Vit B was the first thing my gp and my neuro told me to take form nerve health. There are many people who have gotten nerve damage and face pain... t.n. at.n. etc from dental work sometime ones have had unnecessary work done and or teeth pulled hoping it will stop the pain and it only makes things worse. so If you think your brother has tn or nerve damage He should go to a neuro and there maybe have MRI and that may help see if there is compression or damage to the nerve. there are plenty of meds to help if it is t.n. or o.n. there is hope so do not give up.. if you have questions about T.N. please visit our t.n. forum http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum26.html and post questions I will be glad to help. PEACE BMW

3 year shelf life of an expensive composite filling is why amalgam is still be being used in the USA today.

He may have had better luck had the tooth been removed instead of tampered with in the first place. removal of the tooth in the first week after the insult may have resulted in better outcome also. You didn't mention the condition of the extracted tooth?

I have a traumatic trigeminal (mandibular) nerve injury due to a bad day at the dentist over a decade ago. The type of pain I have is known as anesthesia dolorosa or dysesthesia depending on which doctor I was with. Nerve healing (neuroregeneration) in my case is over.

Nerve block didn't kill the pain of my nerve damage and neither did topical lidocaine.

I thought TDP was usually a diagnosis made upon the result of intentional nerve destruction procedures designed for the classic form of trigeminal neuralgia. Maybe where you live it has a different meaning?

Vowel Lady,

You mentioned Magnesium is very vital for such a case. Is 400 mg Magnesium supplement daily sufficient or is it too much ?


Regards,
Amit.

Cleo you kinda know my story and my face pain is from face slamed into windshield and steering wheel my lower jaws snapped and broken on each side... plates n screws on both sides of lower jaw.... I AGREE 200% with your post especially the last statement of it being called something different where you live. I will even say it depends on what Doctor you see too. I have been told I have T.N. then when pain didnt go away but got worse I was told A.D anesthesia dolorosa got the neuro stim aka PNS then told I dont have TN or A.D. I really had RSD which freaked me out because I had been doing and getting support for T.N. and I felt like a phony like why am I in the T.N. forum ...I should be in the RSD forums... So did research for sure its NOT RSD . Then new oral surgeon told me I have A.D. Ha Ha Ha. Stuck with that for quite a long time. Then ugh ya know Cleo just recently that MVD issue with the TNA . I read and did searches n stuff. I was told I have classic T.N. SO I just said in nice term w.t.h. none of the docs neuros surgeons really knows what to call it. I am just going with I have T.N. face pain due to head and facial trauma treatment / PNS implant. I am just done trying to keep up with all the switching and changing of names to call it. Its nerve damage. Once ya got it who cares what they call it. I think if you have multiple. Surgeries to purposely injury the nerve your paying the docs to give you A.D. because the more the nerve is manipulated the more permanent damage can and is usually done leading to... A.D. So for me and how I look at other people with face pain ... it is what it is a ugly crappy pain monster. Call it whatever you want . It dosent matter to me . Also I know my injured nerve willnot regrow but taking vit B had helped over time with my nerve misfiring . So I keep taking to stay healthy . Not because I am trying to grow or fix my permanently damaged nerve. A bad sinus infection could mess me up . Infection is at the top of my list of NOT to get. Sending low pain to everyone . PEACE BMW

Cleo,

The filling broke because the tooth was decaying. Not because it was a faulty restoration. Dental decay progresses slowly which means for it to be deep near the pulp, as Amit stated it was, then the tooth was decaying for quite some time. Not everyone has symptoms, or pays attention to mild symptoms, of a tooth problem until the decay gets close to the pulp. If this person was under preventive care with a dentist who was taking check up xrays once a year, this decay would have been found on an xray long before it became deep. Taking all of that into consideration, this tooth had plenty of time to become inflamed long before the dentist drilled into it.

The real reasons amalgam is still being used for dental restorations in offices that do not care about the toxicity of the mercury in the amalgam is because it is cheap for the dentist to use and it takes less chair time to put in the tooth. So the profit margin of placing amalgam fillings over composite fillings is higher. These same offices will tell their patients they use amalgam over composite because amalgam lasts longer. The truth of the matter is a well placed composite restoration can last 10-15+ years without any problems. Whereas an amalgam filling, which is all metal, begins to corrode within the first 2-3 years of placement and it expands and contracts from hot and cold temperatures causing micro fractures to occur allowing bacteria to get in underneath the filling.