Karen’s Opinion

Yes, I bit my tongue. That wouldn’t be a big deal except I really bit it hard. I took a chunk out of the center and it hurts like h*&&. Why would that be a good thing?

For about 6 years, I have had a throbbing sensation in my lower jaw. Just below my bottom teeth, it hurts. I always thought it was my teeth that caused the problem. At my yearly cleaning, I asked the dentist what I could do about this nagging pain. I spent over $300 on an apparatus to keep me from grinding my teeth while I slept. My jaw still ached. My dentist took x-rays and said my teeth, gums and roots looked fine. My tooth alignment was alright. He could find nothing that would cause such pain.

A week ago Monday, I bit the heck out of my tongue while eating dinner. I just happened to have a cleaning appointment on Wednesday of that week. Finally, the dentist said I might have neuralgia and needed to check with my doctor.

Sure enough, my doctor listened to my symptoms, which have worsened since I bit my tongue and he thinks I have Trigeminal Neuralgia. Finally, I can see a light at the end of this tunnel filled with pain. I am on an anti seizure medicine called Tegretol.

The way the doctor explained that this pain was the result of the nerves receiving the wrong signals. There are two trigeminal nerves, one on each side of the face. The Mandibular branch runs through the lower jaw and teeth. These nerves think something is causing pain and so they send pain sensations. The Tegretol is supposed to relax the nerves enough that the pain stops.

Wish me well please. I feel a bit loopy and sleepy but anything is better than pain.