Wisdom tooth problem or TN?

First of all, I am super phobic of all dental (and all medical) procedures, including dealing with them afterwards.

I've had a tooth that seemed to cause me problems. There is no decay, but the wisdom tooth is a little wobbly. So once in awhile it gives me grief - or rather the area around it it does, or the side of my face.

Thing is. I've had this problem for about 4 years now, if not a bit longer, it hasn't got worse, my tooth is not any looser than it was then. Also, I clench and brux. I don't bleed when I floss or brush. I go to the hygienist every 3 months for a scale and polish. But I have noticed that when I get tender in that area, it's not the actual tooth that hurts, but my face. From the side of my head along my cheekbone to under my eye, along my jaw and sometimes up along my temple to my forehead. Sometimes, my gum will feel a little puffy, but won't bleed, and that doesn't always happen either.

I am worried about going through the trauma (yes trauma) of having my wisdom tooth pulled only to find out that the problems aren't tooth related... Could it be TN rather than an actual problem with my tooth? I have had sensitive areas on that side that didn't seem related to that tooth either.


Any thoughts?

Anyone? :/

First of all, what is TN?

Secondly, though I'm not a dentist, my guess would be that your problem is related to your teeth grinding and clenching. I had the same problem before I started going back to the dentist after years away, but I didn't even know that I was grinding my teeth. I assumed the issue was wisdom teeth, which I eventually found out I don't even have. While the pains I was getting from grinding were usually very minor (it was pain in my upper roots, near my molars, and it would come and go, and move around slightly), there was one time where I felt like half my face was aching, and I even felt it up into my ear.

It's still possible that your issue is related to wisdom teeth, but if I were you, I'd look into getting a night guard as well. Teeth grinding can cause a ton of problems. Good luck to you!

Hey hello,

TN is trigeminal neuralgia (nerve pain) and there's another type of neuralgia I was reading about which is slightly different. It causes pain on one side of the face usually, mine is always on the right side.

I am going to get my impression made for a night guard next week, hopefully that will help. When I mentioned that maybe the fact I grind my teeth is causing me the problems, when I was at my check-up, my dentist thought that I had very little dental wear for someone who bruxes, but I know I do, my husband hears me, I often wake up with my jaw clenched shut, I clench my teeth in the day too and I have been grinding my teeth since I was a child - my parents could hear me grinding my teeth right across the house.

I am just so terrified of having my wisdom tooth pulled out which seems to be the only solution I am offered, and the only apparent cause of my problems. Except as I said, what if the extraction doesn't take care of the problem. Having a tooth pulled, for me, is a huge deal. I tried gas and air at a clinic where I was referred to and it did absolutely nothing for me.

I guess I will have to have another discussion with my dentist. this is making me so anxious and miserable.

Also sunflower32, did your gums swell when your molars got sore? My problem seems to be mostly facial pain and occasional swollen gum on that one side. Also, my bite has changed so much in the past decade or so, my front teeth no longer touch.

I think you're probably right and I did suspect bruxism too. Hopefully the night guard will do the trick.

Thanks again

No, my gums didn't swell. Though just like you, my bite shifted due to years of untreated bruxism. My bite got so bad that I'm now in Invisalign to fix it.

My gum swells a little from time to time just around the top of the back molars on one side, last 3. Yet they were insisting that my wisdom tooth had to come out, and I am not convinced.

I will try the night guard, that's a start. I will also look into invisalign. How is that working for you?

The Invisalign is working well for me. I've had it for about 5 months now. It's a bit of a lifestyle change (having to take the aligners out every time I want eat, then brushing my teeth before putting them back in, all while making sure I wear them 20-22 hours a day), but from everything I've heard about regular braces, Invisalign is much less of a hassle. The aligners also act as a night guard, and I haven't had those weird pains in my tooth roots or in my face since I started wearing one, which is really nice!

I forgot to mention, if you look into Invisalign, you should go to an orthodontist who has a lot of experience with it. I did a lot of research online when I was about to get it, and I got the sense that the Invisalign treatment is only as good as the treating doctor, and since Invisalign has been around for less than 20 years, there are many providers who are just not as experienced with it (not to say they aren't excellent doctors in general). You can look up doctors in your area by going to the Invisalign website. Good luck!

Ah that's good to know, I looked and there is someone in my town. I had a sneaky suspicion that they'd offer that.

If you do decide to go with Invisalign, I'd be happy to tell you more about my experiences with it or answer any questions you might have.