Can teeth/facial pain be TMS?

Hi guys! I posted this as a question in Ask a TMS Specialist but in case I will not get the response from there I will try to seek some support or advice here and would appreciate any opinion about my problem. I’ve read some posts about teeth problems but you know, it always feels like my pain is something different.

I’m wondering if my teeth/facial pain may be due to TMS?( Along with this, I also have pains in by lower back, hip and feet, I used to have neck and shoulder pain which I believe all is TMS because for more than a year of screenings and tests, they don’t show anything abnormal except a little transitional segment in my low back which was there since I was born but I never experienced any discomfort until I was 21)

Talking about teeth, it started around a year ago when I went to the dentist and got a filling which dentist tried to do three times and it would always fall out. When she finally did it and I flossed before going to bed, my tooth cracked and it was hell since then. My dentist tried to save the tooth and I even had my wisdom teeth extracted just in case they’re pressing but I ended up getting root canal around 6 months after pain started. A little time before the root canal was done the pain got worse and seemed like not only this last molar was painful but the whole left upper part of my teeth up until the front left tooth. The root canal helped with sharp pain and sensitivity for that molar but I still have these sinus type pains under my left eye and some headache once I drink something hot or when I just wake up in the morning. The tooth that had root canal is sore to pressure and the rest of teeth In these quadrant are sensitive to temperature and tap. I’ve been to several dentists and did X-rays and ct scans but they all don’t show anything wrong.

When I touched my left side of face I found some extremely painful spots under my jaw that’s why I thought it might be due t tension.

I would appreciate any help or advice regarding this because I feel trapped and don’t know what to do next to relieve pain and don’t want to extract the tooth which doesn’t look like the reason of pain.

Thank you!

 

@KseniyaM, in this work, it's vital to understand that all physical sensations, all physiological processes, and every symptom we can possibly feel, are all created by our brains, not by the actual body parts. Once you truly understand AND accept this and remember it every time you experience any physical sensation, you will realize that the answer to your question is: Yes, theoretically, anything you feel can be TMS.

That's why it's important to be checked out, which you have done. Having a tooth extracted which the dental experts have said is not a problem, may result in "Phantom Pain" which, if you don't already know about it, is well worth looking into. Just Google "phantom limb pain". The phenomenon of phantom limb pain is classic TMS, and the great news is that the medical and neurological community, after many decades, finally accepted it and understand it as real pain created by the brain even when the limb in question no longer exists.

To us in the TMS world, it's not such a great leap to apply this to all chronic pain and other symptoms. You have to do the emotional work, and keep doing it, to stay ahead of your fearful TMS brain.

 

thanks for your response! I’ve heard about phantom pain and this is one of the reason I’m not planning on extracting the tooth(unless they will find a fracture there) because I’m 100% sure that the pain will not go away if the tooth will be extracted plus I’ll be regretting about this and still in pain.
The problem is that I understand it can be TMS but I’m having hard times trusting it 100%. There is still a thought that it might be something wrong and not treatable and I don’t know how to accept it 100%.

 

This is a battle between you and your fearful brain. What resources have you accessed so far? Knowledge alone is not enough, especially if you're struggling so much. You gotta do the work. Anxiety needs to be addressed before you can accomplish TMS recovery.

 

Yeah my brain is definitely fearful especially when it comes to my health.
I’m on the week 3 of structured program and I’m also on therapy for my anxiety and OCD, but I’m not sure if I will ever beat anxiety, I’m just a bit more comfortable with feeling anxious but not sure it’s possible to get rid of it completely.

 

Ah, well, I did actually say that anxiety "needs to be addressed" - not that it has to be overcome! Two things to keep in mind about anxiety:

1. Anxiety is part of the built-in TMS brain mechanism that all humans have to some extent. In other words, we are wired to be anxious - as are most animals, in fact.

2. Thus we can't expect to get rid of it completely - but we can learn to live with it, and to keep it from taking over our lives! Doing this allows for TMS recovery.

 

Everything @JanAtheCPA said
I had a recurring problem last year. Without elaborating on the symptomology suffice it to say it was along the line of your deal was NOT pain so much as feeling 'wrong'

It's when I wake up from a nap but the same deal. I was probably clenching my teeth

and just like yours, mine makes zero sense because it's been root canal-ed. No x-rayable or visible 'problem' yet it bugs me.Cold, pressure,etc. My Dentist is super conscientious and kept making adjustments, even made a new crown at his own expense..and ended each visit with ."If it bothers you, come back"

As I realized it was psychological I just stopped feeding it (no pun). His admonishment to keep coming back almost seemed like opening the door to TMS, if you get me? As soon as I decided I wasn't going back no matter what, the discomfort went down substantially... and I notice it occupies my attenuation when I am under pressure. Just like my pain used to.

...so when it occasionally bugs, I just turn my mind with the GOOD question. "I wonder what's REALLY bugging me?" ..and it's been fine. It's just 'there'. More of an indicator of my neuroses than a red flashing siren.

 

Thanks for your response!
This makes so much sense when you say it. Mine is also more like something is not right than real pain that I used to have before root canal was done. And I’ve been to doctors office maybe 15 times from the moment it started and just like your dentist, mine tell me to come back if it doesn’t get better. Sometimes I think that it keeps bothering me because I can’t let it go like it’s been several times with infections and pains I had, even when tests came back normal like i was okay the symptoms were still there for weeks until I managed to let it go and don’t give them that much attention and they eventually went away.
And as you said when I have these dentist visits every few weeks, I focus too much on waiting for it and hoping doctors can help me.

 

You can reframe this a bit differently - don't blame yourself, but instead understand that this one of the many distraction tricks of your TMS brain. In this case it's trying to convince you that you're taking action and accomplishing something. In other words, this is your brain on TMS.

TMS pain is serving a purpose, which is usually distraction. Your goal is to figure out what is being repressed - that's when you will be really taking action and accomplishing something!

 

I think that those of us with TMS take that general existential feeling of something being "not right" and find a body part to channel it into. And we use the body part that is most front and center in our mind, as in a tooth that just had work done on it.

The Buddhists call that "not right" feeling dukkha:

The First Noble Truth – dukkha

• Dukkha-dukkha – the suffering of suffering. This refers to the physical and emotional discomfort and pain all humans experience in their lives.
• Viparinama-dukkha – the suffering of change. ...
• Sankhara-dukkha – the suffering of existence.

 

Hi Jan,

Are you familiar with Lichen Sclerosus? I've had a rash down there for months and I was afraid it could be LS so I went to the dermatologist and she thinks it could be that or eczema and I've been spiraling ever since. I've been reading how vaginal Lichen Sclerosus is super painful for women and now today, what do you know, started feeling weird things down there. So could the pain associated with something like LS be TMS?

 

Never heard of it, @taliaaa92, but that would be because my TMS mindbody issues never encompassed the pelvic area, and of course we are not medical professionals on this forum, we are just people who are working on recovering from what are probably an infinite number of symptoms that our fearful brains can create.

If you're looking to find someone who can tell you about their experience with this diagnosis and TMS/PPD (in other words, dealing with LS as a mindbody condition) you probably won't be successful by posting your question on a thread that is about tooth pain. It's always more effective to start your own thread with a title that will attract people willing to answer it.

That being said, I (and others) almost always have something to say about starting the TMS journey, and we often do so on original threads started by new members - so go for it.