Dentist anyone????
Hi everyone,
New to this site but had to post.
Has anyone got a root canal and then the regular cleaning and get a painful migraine after just wondering if this is something to consider also.
Thank you,
Nancy
Hi W2ellf,
Welcome! And thank you for your post. While I do believe other community members will be able to chime in with their experiences, I thought you would find the following article helpful - https://migraine.com/blog/avoiding-an-attack-at-the-dentist/. It discusses visits to the dentist and how they can trigger migraine attacks. Furthermore, there are some coping skills in the article as well. I hope you find it helpful. Again, welcome to our community. We are glad you are here. Hope you have a lovely day.
Warmly,
Meaghan (Migraine.com Team)
Hi Nancy,
I have had migraine symptoms associated with dental visits. I wonder, in your the case of a cleaning or root canal, if it was the fact that your jaw was pressed open (or even just opened wide for an extended time) and this would press on your trigeminal nerve. This would release substance P, which is a big pain transmitter molecule in your body. I ask the hygenist to put the smallest possible pressure on my jaw when she is cleaning my teeth.
I have an underbite and am working with a specialist to move my jaw forward using appliances. It has had an enormous positive effect on my migraines. He informed me about substance P and the trigeminal nerve. My migraines can easily be aggravated by dental visits.
I had extensive dental work done to see if that was the cause of my migraines. I'd get an attack after every visit, but I believe it is more related to my TMJ and having to force my mouth open during the dental procedures. A root canal (I had two) plus the crowns force you to have your jaw open for a long period of time, pinching the nerves. Once I figured this out, my dentist now gives me a break every 15 minutes to allow my jaw to relax. Thankfully I am done with all my major dental work so I no longer have to torture myself like that! I now wear a dental guard at night that helps relieve some of the TMJ symptoms, which helps alot! But still get migraines... 🙁
My Migraine started 15 years ago. One day it came and did not go away for 8 months. The only thing different I had done was 1) went to dentist for a cavity or root canal and when he injected the numbing needle into my upper left back region he got a nerve that felt like an electrical shock. Same month I had gone on progesterone for my premenopausal symptoms.
Also after the dentist visit my left side of my face swelled hugely and was black & blue. A hematoma.
As I mentioned 3-4 weeks later I got that first monster migraine that lasted the 8 months and have had them ever since. After those 8 months from taking relpax a (Triptan) to frequently I was in a bad rebound which I then went to a hospital for 9 days. I still think that was the cause but know one knows. The Drs shrug their shoulders and say it's a possibility for sure. But know way to really know.I am certain my chronic migraine was caused by the stress of 5 tooth extractions and a bone infection and placement of 3 titanium implants over a 6 month period of time. Summer of 2015 I saw what I thought was a spot of decay on a canine and my world ended. Had a lot of pain with every procedure which started with a root canal which turned out to have been impossible since my canal had been closed by "mother nature", and ended with my next dentist sending me to a neurologist, afrid that my successive toothaches were trigeminal neuralgia. The toothaches were toothaches but after getting a wisdom tooth pulled 2 years ago I still get phantom pain. I had a lot of pain from oral surgeries and dentists who said they normally did not have these pain problems. I had 5 months of dental pain. Then 1 month later I got a headache. I had long migraines before that lasted a month, one lasted 3 months but never as true migraines with photophobia, constant aura, smeel issues, and brain fog and around the clock pain. My neurologist diagnosed me with "transformed migraine". 15 months later it is still with me. I take preventives,botox, exercise, watch all potential trigger foods but eat sugar (bad teeth, remember). Headaches got down to just 6-8 days a month but now are up to 15+ again last 3 months and I have NOT been to the dentist.! My oral surgeon says not his fault. My neurologist thinks the dental issues must have something to do with it
I forgot to mention that my migraines our all on my left side of head & face. Like the Trigeminol nerve was affected and the pain goes to all three of those nerve areas. Would love a Dentist to give me their take on the subject.
Thanks for listening😀
