I saw a dentist named >Name Removed< because she had a dental plan. This was okay for simple things, teeth cleaning (okay but not thorough.) But when I needed a root canal, she did it herself, digging into the tooth though it had an infection until she couldn't see what was what, then announced that the tooth had to be extracted. I've never had a tooth removed in my life. Afterwards, I had an implant at USC and a crown put on by another dentist but the pain at the site of the extraction never went away. It was finally diagnosed as Trigeminal Nerve Disorder by >Name Removed<, an Orofacial Pain Specialist. This began when >Name Removed< dug in and damaged a nerve. I have been in constant pain, on Neurontin and other drugs, for over two years because of her, she should not do root canals! Since that time, I have had 3 professional root canals done by >Name Removed< and I beg >Name Removed< to observe how he does it! I had an infection in one of the teeth and he gave me two rounds of antibiotics before proceeding with the root canal. Please avoid her if you need serious dental work done! She is nice and very pretty but should not do everything! To this day I am living in pain. I have tried other drugs like Trileptal but all the drugs make me exhausted. Does anyone know what I can do about it? Do I need surgery? Does surgery work? I'm so tired of living with pain. I do yoga every day but it really doesn't help. :(

I really can't address your medical problem but since you mentioned you do yoga, I would suggest you also try chewing Big Reds peppermint gum or chewing on black peppercorns. The hot pepper sort of burns out the pain just like you get a pain from biting in to a jalapeño pepper. It is the homeopathic principle, fight fire with fire. Also you have my deep sympathy

Isabelle,

The site to make comments about this particular dentist and her downfalls and to praise the others is RateMDs.com | Doctor ratings and reviews.

This site shouldn't be used to bash professionals.

There is no cure for trigeminal neuralgia, but most people find relief from medication, surgery or from "complementary or alternative" therapies. Atypical trigeminal neuralgia, involves a constant burning pain, is more difficult to treat, both with medications and surgery. Surgery may result in varying degrees of numbness to the patient and lead occasionally to "anesthesia dolorosa," which is numbness with intense pain. But some people do find dramatic relief with minimal side effects from the various surgeries that are now available.

Apply ice packs or any readily available source of cold to the area of pain. Cold often numbs the area and will reduce the pain.

Warming packs, wrapped in a towel to protect one's skin, can also provide relief as they stimulate blood flow to the area they are placed upon.

Get adequate rest in normal rest cycles.

Manage your stress well and keep stress levels low. When you feel a TN attack coming on, try to relax immediately.

Practice healthy living principles such as diet and exercise.

Avoid foods that may act as nerve stimulants, such as coffee, tea, and foods that are high in sugar.

Maintain good hydration and electrolyte levels at all time.

Guys the active ingredient in Big Reds gum is not peppermint but cinnamon oil and cloves. No wonder spices were so important in the olden days before they invented antibiotics!
I actually saw a dentist on TV recommend this for pain (until you can get to a dentist) but he said sugarless gum.