Husband with awful face pain

[Stygimoloch]

My husband was up all night on Wednesday with what he thought was tooth ache. He said it was a terrible sharp pain. He was convinced it was an abscess. He made an appointment with the emergency dentist. X-rays revealed no problems.

Since then the pain will go for a while and then suddenly return for 10 -20 minutes or so at time. It is so severe that it cannot speak. He looks grey in the face and actually sweats.

He’s tried ibuprofen and co-codemol. When it comes, nothing seems to take the pain away. He’s not sleeping or eating. He no longer things it’s tooth ache as it’s moved from the top to his lower jaw.

It might not be relevant but he was knocked off his bike by a car on Monday. He was ok other than cuts and bruises to his legs and back. He didn’t hit his head.

Our next stop is the doctors I think but has anyone heard of anything similar?

Weirdly, the X-ray did show up an extra tooth in the roof of his mouth 😱. He’s been referred to the dental hospital but the dentist didn’t mention that it could be related to the current problem.

It could well be trigeminal neuralgia which is agonising. There are meds that help. See gp pronto

Jaw pain can be cardiac.
He needs to get medical advice , especially if he is grey and sweating. He needs an ecg.

A&E, or at least 111, now OP

I had similar and was convinced it was TN as mentioned above, the pain was like nothing I have ever had or felt since, about a million times worse than childbirth.

After being admitted to hospital with chest pain ( later found out caused by excessive pain killer use which had damaged my gullet) one of my teeth suddenly broke, apparently a hair line crack which then crumbled. And the pain was gone.

I was obviously happy that it would appear I don’t have TN, and anyone who suffers with this has my utmost sympathy.

Definitely see GP but consider seeing dentist, that said my dentist said the hairline crack could well have been undetectable.

He needs to go to a and e and be checked. Could be cardiac or TN as mentioned above- they can prescribe particular meds for TN.

Has he damaged the nerve of a tooth. I did this last year and honestly the pain was worse than childbirth. It was a bit like contractions, it came every so often, hurt a bit, reached a peak which lasted a few minutes and then calmed down. I ended up with root canal and a crown

Hope your DH finds some relief soon. Good advice above re cardiac , I’ve heard that before.

Jaw/tooth pain can signal a heart attack. Especially if he is also grey and sweaty

*Since then the pain will go for a while and then suddenly return for 10 -20 minutes or so at time. It is so severe that it cannot speak. He looks grey in the face and actually sweats.

He’s tried ibuprofen and co-codemol. When it comes, nothing seems to take the pain away. He’s not sleeping or eating. He no longer things it’s tooth ache as it’s moved from the top to his lower jaw.*

Honestly this is exactly what I had. I couldn’t even work out where it was coming from by the end as it moved all over the place. It was only when a molar split in half and the pain disappeared that I realised. I honestly don’t think it would have shown up on an X-ray. Apparently it was the tiniest hairline fracture until it broke

Thanks everyone. We’d come across the cardiac link but this is literally the only symptom. Everything I’ve read suggests that jaw pain accompanies other symptoms in cases of cardiac.

answerthequestion it sounds very similar. The dentist mentioned root canal work when he went yesterday.

I really hope it isn’t TN. That sounds bloody miserable.

We’re off to the walk-in centre in the morning to get him checked out.

I hope he gets some results tomorrow, Stigimoloch.

I'm not a doctor or dentist so all I can say is he is doing the right thing to go to the walk in centre.

I have had trigeminal neuralgia - just once, many years ago. I took medication and it cleared. I also have temporomandibular joint dysfunction, kept under control now thankfully but it was difficult to get a proper diagnosis and treatment. Thankfully I was eventually referred to an oral surgeon as an emergency and he suffered with the same! Only telling you this to show that I know what facial/jaw pain is like, it's awful.

All the best to your husband and you.

Rachel thank you. It must be horrendous. I’ve never seen him react like this. I find it hard to relate as I’ve never even had toothache! I can tell he’s in awful pain though. I’m creeping round the house hoping he’ll sleep.

Grey colour and sweating plus jaw pain are 3 things associated with heart attack/ angina. Don't wait for any more.
My friend had only pain behind one ear. His wife is a nurse and insisted he went to the walk in. He was in the cath lab having angioplasty and stent fitted the same day.

it sounds very similar. The dentist mentioned root canal work when he went yesterday.

I couldn’t speak when the pain hit. It felt like I was going to pass out. I’ve genuinely never felt pain like it. I would lay money from what you have said that this is what it is

I had horrendous jaw pain on and off for 3 months. They put in a crown as there was a small crack running right through tooth. Pain didn't settle but nothing at all showed up on xrays. I woke up one night with pain as though someone had punched me hard in the jaw. I got checked at doctors too thinking it was my ear or something else. After going back and forwards for weeks dentist decided on root canal work as we had basically tried everything else. That did the trick.

I honestly can't stress how bad the pain all those weeks was. It was awful and had me in tears many a time. Get your husband to get everything else checked out but it could well be that root canal treatment is needed.

Ouch-poor thing

I would say definitely somewhere with xrays tomorrow morning at the latest, and do mention his being knocked off his bike.

@Rachelover40 hi! Whats help tn and tmj. What helped you with both? And what meds were you on? Xx