Chronic pain
Teeth and Gum pain
mrsnutz · 26/07/2022 10:39
I’ve always suffered with bad sensitivity in my teeth and gums but last December I had my teeth cleaned by a different Hygienist. I have had many cleanings before but this one felt different. Since December I have been in pain every single day but my dentist says teeth and gums are fine. I no longer can bear to eat any foods and have developed a fear of food now that I’m being prescribed meal replacement shakes. My Dr wants me to try Nortriptyline but I hate medication as all the side effects. I’m suffering badly with both my mental health and physical health all because of this hygienist clean. My dentist could never see me as was always booked up so said if I went private I would be seen that week so I did. I can’t afford all these appointments and still hard to get to see her. I’m due for another clean soon but I’m terrified so having to be sedated costing over £700. I’m angry, upset don’t no what to do as my life feels terrible now. The daily pain is unbearable and no one seems to care. It’s made me feel suicidal especially as I can’t eat anymore. What could the hygienist have done to me to cause all this. I just can’t take anymore of this life.
Lushmetender · 04/10/2022 21:16
Take the nortriptyline! I’ve got trigeminal neuralgia which was affecting my face, teeth and gums. I take one dose of Amytriptyline at night (takes a couple of weeks) but I am rarely in pain anymore. You will have better clarity of thought and you’ll feel much better
BobaTea · 05/10/2022 20:14
@mrsnutz , what sort of pain are you getting?
Two years ago after my hygienist appointment, I started to suffer from this weird sensation in one of my molars. It's not painful but I'm aware of this sensation daily. I had many dentist appointments and x-rays, still no cause can be found.
mrsnutz · 05/10/2022 20:58
I’m getting gum pain / pressure feeling which radiates up into the teeth. It’s daily feeling of something not right. It only started after the hygienist clean but my Dentist says it’s very unlikely a clean would cause this. Strange though as was fine before. Dental practices stick together and wouldn’t admit it anyway but she doesn’t understand the stress it’s causing me and I’m determined to prove that hygienist cleans can cause trouble in the teeth and gums. As I’ve felt suicidal because of this.
mrsnutz · 06/10/2022 10:50
Hi,
I have a partial upper denture which I take out at night so I no I’m not clenching my teeth. I have no idea why the pain won’t stop I am sure the hygienist did something which has caused this. I’ve seen a neurologist and a specialist in London but neither of them were helpful. The meds give me terrible side effects so I’m stuck not knowing what to do anymore. I wanted my teeth removed but dentist refused as said there healthy but when you don’t eat and your health is deteriorated so much I would have thought this was more important than keeping my natural teeth. It’s just so hard knowing what to do next as they say a clean can’t cause this but I know in some cases it can.
cultkid · 06/10/2022 10:52
mrsnutz · 06/10/2022 10:50
Hi,
I have a partial upper denture which I take out at night so I no I’m not clenching my teeth. I have no idea why the pain won’t stop I am sure the hygienist did something which has caused this. I’ve seen a neurologist and a specialist in London but neither of them were helpful. The meds give me terrible side effects so I’m stuck not knowing what to do anymore. I wanted my teeth removed but dentist refused as said there healthy but when you don’t eat and your health is deteriorated so much I would have thought this was more important than keeping my natural teeth. It’s just so hard knowing what to do next as they say a clean can’t cause this but I know in some cases it can.
Have you tried cannabis oil? Could you contact the London pain clinic?
I wonder if you are still clenching your teeth at night due to being anxious
Could you try some exercises to relax your face?
Have you got wisdom teeth?
RedSquirrelRoar · 06/10/2022 11:15
I was convinced I had toothache but it turned out to be something called burning mouth syndrome. Nothing to do with teeth but I did find mine was worse after dentist appts where id been poked about.
I found mine went away within a few weeks of seeing an orofacial pain specialist at guys hospital (my private dentist was able to refer me on NHS). She explained it to me in detail so I understood why and how it happens and that really lessened my anxiety, which improved the pain.
RedSquirrelRoar · 06/10/2022 15:59
@BobaTea I think it can be different for different people - mine was a dull ache in my teeth (mostly my front tooth) and face on one side, and would get worse when I was hungry, tired or stressed. Sometimes stabs of pain, sometimes migrating to other bits of my mouth. I was so sure it was a toothache but when I went to the dentist they couldn’t reproduce the pain by tapping my teeth etc (though it hurt really badly afterwards).
mrsnutz · 06/10/2022 17:03
No I’ve never tried cannabis oil as so many to choose from that I got confused and I had all my wisdom teeth out years ago. I went to London Kings college hospital and was seen by the supposed to be top person in the country All she did was look in my mouth and take some X-rays nothing showed up and that was it no possible cause and just left again. It took ages to get there and as I broke my hip in 2020 which is still playing me up the long journey made my hip really hurt. London will see me again but I just don’t think I can travel that far again especially if they don’t do anything.
RedSquirrelRoar · 06/10/2022 22:02
@mrsnutz Yes, I was told they can prescribe medication but it can have side effects. Sorry to hear you’ve not been able to get any relief, it’s really miserable.
When I went to the hospital clinic I saw the consultant first - they did an x Ray and confirmed no issues with teeth. Then I saw their clinical psychiatrist who specialises in this type of pain and she talked me through the science of how pain like this happens, reassuring me that the pain IS real, I’m not crazy, and it’s v common. For me I think it was a vicious cycle of stress, pain, worrying about the pain, more stress, more pain and so on. The not knowing was so upsetting for me. So just understanding what it was really helped to break me out of that cycle. They recommended stress management/counselling.
Also, less stress and knowing that my teeth were ok and eating wouldn’t damage them meant I started to eat properly again and that really helped I think - not eating is really hard on your body.
They did also offer me a blood test for b12 deficiency as apparently there can be a link - might be worth checking out?
Hope you can get some relief soon 💐
mrsnutz · 07/10/2022 15:30
Yes I have tried meds but they make me feel really bad unfortunately. Stress does lay a big part in the pain as when I’m stressed which is nearly always it affects my teeth and gums badly. My dentist plus second opinions all say my teeth are fine but it’s hard to accept this as when the pain radiates to the teeth I automatically start checking my teeth. I fear food now as been to long like this so this is another problem I have. I’m see maxilliofacial and hope they can help me not sure what’s they do but anything is worth a go. Brushing and flossing scares the hell out of me as this makes the pain worse. I can’t help being stressed 😩 but I’ve so many problems that the last thing I wanted was mouth problems. I don’t want to take mind altering medication with so many side effects so hoping there’s some kind of surgery they can do. If the professionals really understood what we go through then maybe they could understand our depression and anxiety especially when I’ve asked for my teeth to be removed but told it’s better to have your natural teeth. Trouble is if I’m not eating and my health is deteriorating so much then what’s the point in keeping natural teeth. Very difficult situation to understand both for me and the dentists but I will not give up until I find help as I want my life back.
RedSquirrelRoar · 07/10/2022 20:24
I think the issue is that (assuming it’s something like burning mouth) even if they removed the teeth that hurt, it would likely not remove the pain. Because the pain isn’t originating in your teeth or gums at all - it’s in your brain.
They explained it to me that your brain processes pain by having a map of your body, with different neurons corresponding to nerves in different parts of your body. With burning mouth, the neurons in your brain corresponding to a section of your mouth start misfiring - so you feel pain even though there is no injury, or continue to feel pain after an injury has healed. This is more likely to happen if you are stressed or have vitamin deficiencies, because that affects your brain chemistry and makes the neurons more trigger-happy. And it usually happens in your mouth because your mouth has tons of nerves so takes up a lot of the brains map.
Is there anything you can do to address your stress levels? Therapy (with someone experienced in chronic pain), anti-anxiety meds (some also help with nerve pain), lifestyle changes? Accepting that there was nothing physically wrong and taking my focus off the pain was the key for me, although I do know how hard that is.
Hopefully the appt you have coming up will give you some resolution on whether there is any physical issue there and the clinic may offer you therapy/non-drug pain management techniques.
mrsnutz · 08/10/2022 09:29
I agree with you that having teeth removed may not solve the problem unfortunately and I try to not stress out so much but it’s difficult. I broke my hip in 2020 and had it pinned which has left me with hardly any movement in my leg and my life has changed dramatically. I’m still in pain with it as sure something is wrong. I can’t even make a cup of tea anymore so what with losing my independence and now this mouth pain I’ve become very depressed and my anxiety is awful. I was going to see a hypnotist as she had very good results but £80 a session is a little high for me. Then my husband was taken ill a few weeks back and was rushed to hospital so I was left at home unable to do anything and this made me think about my future. All I can see is negative things like I’m going to have to be put in a care home as I can’t look after myself. Things have just got out of control but the daily pain from my mouth has pushed me over the edge.
RedSquirrelRoar · 08/10/2022 13:58
@mrsnutz No wonder you are stressed, you poor thing!
Do you tend to bottle things up? I do, and I think if you can’t find a way to release it, sometimes emotional pain (stress etc) comes out as physical pain. Sounds weird, but I tend to find that having a really good cry gives a bit of relief.
Ive suffered horrible anxiety and various health issues (which may or may not be related) for years on and off and I think I’m finally going to see GP and ask for help. I wish I’d done it years ago.
mrsnutz · 08/10/2022 14:38
I’ve suffered with anxiety and panic attacks sine I was 20 became agoraphobic turned to drink which caused my mobility problems but thankfully gave up the alcohol 15 years ago. Started to overcome my agoraphobia and managed to go to Spain for several years which I loved. Then this hip operation has put an end to all that. I guess I’ve just got so low over the past couple of years it’s hard to feel positive. I’ve seen my GP numerous times but never really get any help. I take diazepam that helps a bit but I don’t think any of the professionals understand how low I really am. I hope you find help with your anxiety.
SamR36 · 14/02/2023 07:56
Hi all
i suffer trigeminal neuralgia, have done for 7 years, been in tegretol anticonvulsants all that time, i take them daily which i hate as they affect my mood, brain fog & eyesight, but are my only option. I still suffer horrendous bouts that last days, weeks or even months. The symptoms you're all describing sound very much the same. I am currently in bed, with a hot beanbag on my face after phoning in sick (which i never do) as i have the worst episode ever.
If anyone has any advice on how or what else to take to deal with the pain i would appreciate it. This illness is robbing me of my life, so debilitating 😭
Milanrae · 19/04/2023 23:07
Hi, I’ve been suffering with exactly the same problem teeth and mouth pain been to the dentist numerous times and dental hospital to see maxillo but still can’t find anything - like you can’t eat scared to brush teeth even talking is hard has completely ruined my life - just wondered if you’ve got any update on how you are now ?
mrsnutz · 20/04/2023 09:51
Hi,
Unfortunately I’m still suffocating with daily pain. I’m seeing my dentist yet again on Monday as now my lower right back 3 molars are painful and I’m dreading being told I need a filling or root canal as don’t like anyone touching my teeth let alone using the nasty drill my anxiety is to bad to go through with this. My neurologist is sending me for an MRI but I’m terrified of this and cancelled my last one. I know I need the scan though as might give me answers then hopefully treatment but getting through it scares me. I don’t eat anything so my physical and mental health is getting really bad. I feel for you suffering as well as it drags you down so much. I will keep you informed of MRI results and I hope you find help.
Milanrae · 20/04/2023 21:54
Thank you for your reply im so sorry you are also still in pain and i completely understand how you feel I also can’t eat and it’s just awful eating is everything it’s so hard.
I also have the same anxiety as you about going to the dentist now I feel I need to go to a new dentist and see if they can tell me anything different than they can’t find anything wrong but just the thought of anyone going near your mouth and thinking about having to have more work done I just can’t.
please let me know How you get on at dentist on Monday - hope it all goes okay
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