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Can Dental Problems Cause Trigeminal Neuralgia & What About Bell’s Palsy?

Trigeminal neuralgia is caused due to compression of the trigeminal nerve. In rare cases, such as cyst of tooth origin, may lead to trigeminal neuralgia. Bell’s palsy may also be caused due to poor oral hygiene, dental infection and tooth decay.

Can Dental Problems Cause Trigeminal Neuralgia?

Can Dental Problems Cause Trigeminal Neuralgia?

The pain that caused in trigeminal neuralgia usually occurs in the upper jaw, cheeks, gums, and teeth. Some patient’s complaint of the sinus pain and toothache by moving jaw and at the time of drinking fluids, as the pain is related to teeth, patient visit dentist. On examination, the dentist does not find any abnormality as the reason for pain is not due to teeth or oral abnormality rather the problem is related to the nervous system. A case has been reported in which the patient suffering from a cyst of tooth origin also has trigeminal neuralgia. The pain of trigeminal neuralgia subsides after removal of the cyst2.

The patients with trigeminal neuralgia feel like a sharp and shooting pain on the upper jaw, teeth, and gums which results in pain and inflammation in gums and upper jaws.

What About Bell’s Palsy, Can It Cause Trigeminal Neuralgia?

The bells palsy is the condition characterized by paralysis of the muscles on one side of the face. In this condition, the muscles of the side face become weak. The weakness of the muscles also affects the saliva and tears production and sense of taste also gets altered. The reason for the development of Bell’s Palsy is believed to be the inflammation in those nerves that controls the muscular movement in the facial area. The seventh cranial nerve is the affected nerve in Bell’s Palsy3. The condition may also be caused due to viral infection. In some people the bells palsy is temporary with the recovery time is six months. But in a few peoples, the symptoms of Bell’s palsy are more frequent. The symptoms of this disease usually improve within the first week of occurrence of the condition.

Dental Problems And Bell’s Palsy

Dental Infection: Dental infections, in some cases, lead to facial nerve paralysis4.

Tooth Decay: The dental problems can cause the bell’s palsy. In some people, especially with dry mouth syndrome, the food particles get sucks between the gums and cheeks. This increases the risk of Bell’s palsy. It is important for patients with Bell’s palsy to avoid this situation and visit the dentist for a regular dental examination.

Oral Hygiene: Oral hygiene is very important for patients with Bell’s palsy and dental problems. Poor oral hygiene results in increased risk for Bell’s Palsy. Patients with Bell’s palsy should follow some oral hygiene measures such as brushing, flossing, and regular dental checkup.

Dry MOUTH: Bell’s Palsy results in reduced secretion of saliva. Saliva production is more important for teeth protection. Reduced secretion of saliva also increases the frequency of Bell’s Palsy.

Symptoms Of Trigeminal Neuralgia

Severe Facial Pain: During trigeminal neuralgia, the patient experiences excruciating facial pain. The pain is so severe that it feels like an electric shock on the face. Pain consists of a remission stage as well as the attack stage. In the initial stage of the disease, the time of remission is longer as compared to attack. As the disease progress, the patient experiences trigeminal neuralgia attack more often and the remission period becomes shorter. There are two types of pain in trigeminal neuralgia:

Type I: Type I pain is also called classic pain; this type of pain usually caused by touching the area of skin. This pain is characterized by a definite period of remission. The pain is usually sharp, shooting, throbbing, and like an electric shock.

Type II: Type II pain is also known as atypical pain. In the atypical pain, patients feel burning and aching on the face area. Type II pain has no remission period and managing type II pain is quite difficult.

Feeling Of Discomfort: Even before the real attack originates, the patient feels like itching and burning sensation1.

Conclusion

The pain of trigeminal neuralgia is often confused with tooth pain. In rare cases, tooth disorders may lead to trigeminal neuralgia. Bell’s palsy may also be caused due to a variety of dental disorders.

References:  

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Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:March 6, 2020

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