Michael E. Foster, D.D.S.
Foster Family Dentistry
5704 Hwy. 290 West
Austin, TX 78735
512-892-2273
http://www.fosterfamilydentistry.com/DrFoster.htm
Transcript: Did my dentist cause trigeminal neuralgia?
Frequently, I have patients either ask me or they will confide with me that they feel like that they got trigeminal neuralgia after having had some dental procedures. I’ve heard this numerous times. I’ve been to many meetings and I’ve heard a lot of people that will stand up in the audience and say or ask the question “Did my dentist cause trigeminal neuralgia?”
Nobody really knows what causes trigeminal neuralgia. There are treatments for trigeminal neuralgia that appear to treat a cause and affect but many times there is no cause and affect. They can’t even become to guess what causes it.
So, a lot of times when a patient has had dental treatment, what I want you to be aware of that if you have to go to a dentist and you are in the need of a root canal, “Did the root canal cause trigeminal neuralgia or did the need for a root canal cause trigeminal neuralgia or is it just luck of the draw?” Your dentist is not trying to create anything. I know of nothing that says dental treatment causes trigeminal neuralgia. If you get on the Internet, I’m sure you’ll find somebody that will say “Going to the dentist caused my trigeminal neuralgia.”
So, I would say that the best thing that you can do is when you decide not to brush or not to floss or you want to eat that candy, maybe this could be a trip to the dentist and then if it is that could cause your trigeminal neuralgia. But I don’t believe it is the issue and I don’t believe it causes it. But the infection of the tooth, the decay of the tooth, the abscess can that affect the nerve, can that create some problems - possible. I don’t know.
But the dilemma that the dentist is in is you come in with a tooth problem, an infection, a dental need and he only has so many things that he can do and he has to treat that problem. So, I don’t believe you should be afraid of going to the dentist. I don’t believe dentistry causes trigeminal neuralgia but don’t be surprised if you don’t hear that out there.