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Can dental/tooth ache be TMS?

Here's the thing. ANY CONFLICT we feel can cause TMS. Not sure I need to say more?

I have one particular spot in a molar that is somehow targeted by my brain that has been checked by a dentist more than once. He cannot find anything there. So I know (and believe) it is brain-induced pain and it gets my attention to where I'm feeling conflicted, etc. to work that out. . . and then wonderfully mysteriously, the tooth pain disappears.

If you have doubts, get it checked by a dentist. But in answer to your question YES it most certainly can be TMS. And probably is! The rest is up to you. :)
 
Thank you so much for your kind words Plum. The reason this community is so helpful and supportive is due to all of our members like yourself.

TMS can and will manifest itself as pretty much any symptom out there. I do have a flare-up of TMJ and Jaw pain from time to time. The last time I had it, I couldn't eat anything hard and had to rely on soups and applesauce. Not surprisingly it reduce one day when I became really angry with my father and yelled at him. It is amazing how much our symptoms can reduce once we allowing our emotions to be present. It also cannot be said enough that the key to overcoming any symptom is to believe it is benign. As Lori said, if you have doubts about a symptom go ahead and get it checked out, but it most likely is TMS.

ANY CONFLICT we feel can cause TMS
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And I love this. It is an excellent reminder of just how many things, whether they are seemingly major or minor, can be the source of our symptoms.
 
plum said:
Sweetness, yes tooth pain and dental problems can be tms. In medical parlance there is something called 'atypical odontalgia' which is widely believed to be psychogenic and therefore, by default is tms. Given your situation the likelihood is this is tms doing that wacky thing that it does, however it is folly to assume anything is tms unless and until a real problem has been ruled out. I suggest you ride it out for a few days and see if it settles. If not, do have it looked at.
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Tabitha,
I think Plum's advice above is "spot on". Any symptom can be TMS, but we can't know that until a qualified medical professional rules out a physical cause. You don't want people on the internet diagnosing you, dear one.

I have TMS, but I've also had severe tooth pain that was only relieved by proper dental care. I think tooth sensitivity is some of the worst pain out there. Do yourself a favor and have it checked out and treated if necessary.
 
I've had what I call "dry mouth" overnight. My mouth feels like the Sahara desert. I keep a plastic cup of water by my bed so
I take a sip and the problem goes away. Today I did a Google search and there are posts about dry mouth that say it can come
from a lot of sources. The ones I related to were stress and depression. Both stem from financial woes, and I'm making some
progress on them. But besides, the last few weeks have been a little much with work, so that's more TMS to deal with.
I'm getting there on this latest symptom of dry mouth. It's always something. But at least now I know where this symptom
came from.
 
plum said:
Sweetness, yes tooth pain and dental problems can be tms. In medical parlance there is something called 'atypical odontalgia' which is widely believed to be psychogenic and therefore, by default is tms. Given your situation the likelihood is this is tms doing that wacky thing that it does, however it is folly to assume anything is tms unless and until a real problem has been ruled out. I suggest you ride it out for a few days and see if it settles. If not, do have it looked at. Flapping around in a state of pain and panic is not worth all the tea in China. I know you are frightened and have financial concerns but neither benefit from ignoring the problem. The wonderful thing about tms healing is that you become emotionally strong. Every time you face a personal demon you get to tick them off the list of bogeymen. That's one beautiful feeling. You will come out of this angel and you'll be better for it, and you know what, you'll also meet a man who you can give your heart to and who will fully reciprocate. Keep your faith, and let Gigalos help you. He knows a lot about trigger points and how they relate to tms.
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Thanks Plum. Full of hope and wisdom.
 
plum said:
First off the bat, tms feels real. That's why it's such a ******* to deal with. It can reach the point where you feel like you're fighting a war with yourself, which in a way you are, because this is the joys of inner conflict
Check out your other thread, the one on avoidance, and read what Forest says. Forest IS the man because he's walked through the fire. He earned his spurs and then he created this place. He is the heat and cool you can rely on baby.

Has anyone had tooth pain and sensitivity? Hell yes. I have. It sucks. It is the pits.
Go here: http://www.tmshelp.com/forum
Search for wavy soul. She is the queen of tms tooth pain. She beat it and you can too.

Second, my darling, you need to soothe yourself. You are too wound up and worried by all this and that does not help you heal. From one who knows I implore you to take some time off to calm down and rest. Sleep. Read. Walk. Be very gentle with yourself. This is a time to let the storms pass, to let your nervous system calm down. Your pain levels will lower when you do this. It's *the* key to healing.

Unplug from the net and simply be angel.
You're going to be fine.
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Thank you for more amazing wisdom Plum. My diseased and worried mind can not think itself well so it is very importamt and healing to get these strong messages of how to get better. Thank you tons for all of your great advice.
 
Dear Friends, the strangest thing happened in regards to my tooth ache, my severe toothache. I was terrified it would be a root canal or Id need a new tooth because it was so senstive . Well I went to the dentist and he said he did not see anything wrong with my tooth at all but perhaps an old filling on the tooth next to it could cause the pain - so nothing needed but a filling in a few weeks. And wouldn't you know the pain has all but gone away. Just like that. Is thar TMS or what, miracle. Now if only my hair would get better just as quickly. After all my Dr said there was nothing wrong with that either. Hoping and waiting.....
 
Tabathafromnj said:
Dear Friends, the strangest thing happened in regards to my tooth ache, my severe toothache. I was terrified it would be a root canal or Id need a new tooth because it was so senstive . Well I went to the dentist and he said he did not see anything wrong with my tooth at all but perhaps an old filling on the tooth next to it could cause the pain - so nothing needed but a filling in a few weeks. And wouldn't you know the pain has all but gone away. Just like that. Is thar TMS or what, miracle. Now if only my hair would get better just as quickly. After all my Dr said there was nothing wrong with that either. Hoping and waiting.....
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Angel, this is fabulous news. Skipping out of the dentists is a sweet moment worth savouring. Be sure to reinvest this healing power into your self and your life.
 
You have a good dentist if he/she didn't say you need a root canal.

I used to live along a golf course and a canal ran alongside it.
My neighbor's dog used to love to jump into it and came out all mucky and wet.

Not the same kind of canal as a root canal but about as yukky.
 
Yes, tooth pain can be caused by TMS. I have perfect teeth, never had a cavity in my life, but at the peak of my anxiety and TMS state, I had some pretty severe toothaches. Completely unexplainable when examined by a dentist.

You've got a lot going on, it's no wonder you are experiencing pain. You've got to find ways to relax, calm your nervous system and deal with your stressors. You may not be able to change the stressors, but you can change your reaction!
 
I agree with Pandagirl. We may not be able to change the stressors, but we can change our reaction to them.
I think it helps to not only be easier on ourselves but easier on those who cause us stress.
I find that if I put myself in the shoes of someone causing me stress in the past or the present,
I come to the conclusion that the stress they cause me may have nothing at all to with me.
They may just be taking out their anger or frustration on us, instead of the person or event they ought to be dealing with.

And it's part of the catastrophe thinking process, I think. Nothing rarely turns out as bad as we imagine.
Were yesterdays worries present today, at least as bad as expected or worried?

Changing our reaction to stressors can help us realize they're not fatal. They're just big in our mind
because we make them big. Make them little... itsy bitsy.
 
Interesting the power of a diagnosis by an authority figure (i.e. a dentist) to negate your tooth ache symptoms, Tabatha. Now think of what kind of negative power a doctor who says your back pain is due to structural abnormalities like bone spurs, bulging and herniated disks in your spin? It's like the difference between a placebo and a nocebo. Glad your dentist gave you a clean bill of health. That's a powerful bit of evidence that confirms that your really do have TMS. Back after my mother died in 2001, I had a so-called "herniated disk" in my lower left lumbar region. This was also the same time that I had a bunch of dental work - root canals, implants, extractions etc. etc. And I tell you, the TMS definitely amplified the sensitivity in my mouth to cold wind while I was out riding my bike in winter. Also, all the dental procedures hurt much more than they would have without the TMS condition that was driving my lower back pain. I still occasionally get TMJ in my lower left jaw, not a coincidence I think that it's on the same side as my "herniated disk" was way back when. I think that TMS is a general condition that can amplify any pain symptom throughout your whole central nervous system, but I'm definitely not a doctor and that's only my two-bits worth of wisdom.
 
Bruce, your two-bits worth of wisdom is worth millions. Pain can make a mountain out of a molehill
unless we take charge and tell ourselves it's TMS.
If a dentist told me I needed a root canal, I'd tell him to go jump into one.
 
I got a bunch of root canals, Walt, not coincidentally because it was about 10 years ago when my old WWII male dentist retired and his practice was purchased by a hot shot lady just out of UC Berkeley dental college. Looking back, I realize now that that was when there was a major shift in dentistry away from family practice to the new cosmetic school of dentistry with all the root canals, implants, and tooth brightening programs. How could I go for 30 years and only have one root canal and then in the space of two years have 4 or 5 of the things plus wisdom tooth extractions unless modern marketing techniques were being introduced into the dental profession? Needless to say, I got rid of my new dentist when I wised up to what was going on. The "new" dentistry seems to love $300 mouth guards for bruxism (TMJ), yearly X-rays, ultra-violet probes to check for mouth cancer, and $600 brightening programs to make sure you look like a high-tech salesman. It cost me a lot, but at least now I know it's a fee-splitting dental cornucopia for recent dental school graduates with huge student loans to repay. Interest too that if I drive to Nevada across the California State line, all the dental costs are cut in half instantly. The cost of living for new aspirants to the middle-classes are just so high in the Bay Area that they're bound to pass the costs along to you.
 
Bruce, I'm glad you didn't have to pay full price for the root canals.
I had a neighbor who was a great guy but when he said his dentist told him he
had to have a root canal, he looked like he was bragging. That it was a badge of social honor.
I thought his ego let him get suckered in.
My dentist told me I needed six new fillings and I said I'd wait until one of them gave me a toothache.
That was eight years ago and I haven't a single toothache.
 
Tooth pain can most definitely be TMS. I'm having more than my fair share of it now, along with massive TMJ pain. I know it is TMS since two of the teeth that have been hurting had root canals and crowns last year. I'll bet I didn't need either of the root canals! Nothing showed up on x-rays. Now, another tooth is bothering me off and on and I was just at the dentist for my cleaning a few weeks ago. My mind is trying to keep me focused on the physical and since it knows it can't fool me with the crowned teeth, it had to pick another one to affect.

Not like I don't have anything going on in my life...went back to school to finish my degree, one daughter moved into the dorms, stress with my 'difficult' mother, husband travels for business, and now a relocation to another state. Our girls are vowing to do everything they can to stay here, and I am not dealing with it well at all.
 
Hi, Honeybear. From your list of current things going on, I'd say it's no wonder your teeth are hurting. They also hurt because you think you didn't need the root canal work, which you probably didn't. I'd consider changing dentists.

I had a "difficult" mother. She could never be pleased, no matter how much she asked my sister or I to do, or how fast we did it.
She once asked me to get her a refill at the drug store for her medication that relaxed her, and while I was in the car could I get her some
groceries? I said okay even though our suburb of Chicago was in a snow storm. When I returned from the errands and gave her
her medication and groceries. I had lost my parking place in front of my house to run the errands and had to park my car a block away after shoveling out a space. Mom look at the groceries and groaned. She said, "Oh, I wanted a can of sour kraut with caraway seeds." She hadn't asked for that
so I bought a can of kraut without caraway seeds. No sign of "thanks" for my efforts. How can you please someone like that? I gave up trying.

Husbands who travel for business probably don't like being away so much, but it makes it hard on the wife and kids. My next-door neighbor travels a lot for his work and for a few years was only home on weekends maybe once or twice a month. His wife takes care of the preteen kids, a dog, cleans the house, mows the lawn, snowblows the driveway, does the washing and ironing, cooking, clean-up, and drives the boy and girl to every athletic practice or game imaginable. She might as well be a taxi driver. She said she has back pain. I wonder why.

So just think TMS and find ways to relax and not try to do everything everyone wants of you.
Deep breathing can help, and laugh at it all.
 
Thanks for the reply, Walt.

I've been doing lots of deep breathing, meditating, journaling, and reminding myself that "This is all just TMS...nothing more and nothing less".

P.S. I grew up in Chicago, and every time I see a post from you, I think of my favorite aunt who lives in Glenview, very close to where we lived. :)
 
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