Atlanta Injury Lawyers BlogPaint Management For Dental Nerve Injuries
As an Atlanta Dental Malpractice Lawyer, I am well aware that injuries caused by dental procedures often manifest themselves with a combination of numbness and pain. Many times, subsequent corrective surgery is not successful, and the client is left with no choice but to manage the pain with pain medications. Tegretol, Lyrica, Topamax, Gabapentin and Cymbalta are just a few of the many drugs used to help manage the intractable pain that many dental nerve injury victims suffer from. While the preferred course after a lingual nerve or inferior alveolar nerve injury is to surgically repair the nerve, the only course of action left after unsuccessful microneurosurgery is pain management.
In addition to surgical repair to reduce the nerve pain and pain meds, those suffering from dental nerve pain have, in varying degrees found some relief from the following:
Steroids – a course of steroids such as Prednisone is typically recommended, within a few weeks of the nerve injury.
Clonazepan – For the fastest relief of acute burning tongue, many clients have reported that clonazepan (Klonopin) is effective.
Topical pain relief – Topical lidocaine or benzocaine. Pain patches can also be made with these topical pain relief medications.
Anti-inflammatories – Aspirin, Tylenol, and other anti-inflammatory medications can provide relief by blocking the pain signals and reducing inflammation.
Anti-depressants – In addition to Cymbalta, Prozac, Lexapro, Paxil, Effexor,Norpamin, Lyrica, Zoloft, or Elavil have proven effective in helping clients deal with dental nerve pain. Many clients have also reported good pain relief with Gabapentin, Neurontin and Tegretol.
Vitamins, Homeopathic, and Alternative therapies – Many dental nerve injury sufferers believe that vitamins such as vitamin B are helpful in dealing with dental nerve pain. While I have not seen any literature to support this, it may be worth a try. Similarly, certain supplements such as St. John’s Wart has been suggested as helpful, however I am not aware of any peer-reviewed literature which support this.
As with most pain management treatments, a lot depends on trial and error. What might work for one person with one specific nerve injury, may not provide any benefit for another. Sometimes, a medication will be effective in relieving pain, but the side-effects (constipation, drowsiness, irritability, depression, anxiety, etc.) are too limiting and a lesser dosage of the effective drug or a different medication must be tried. The goal is to find a medication which is effective in dealing with the pain, but which does not cause side-effects that limit what one can do while on the medication in a way that effects their family and work life.
If you have suffered a nerve injury from a dental procedure such as a root canal or placement of a dental implant, please contact us for a free case evaluation. Attorney Robert J. Fleming has been handling personal injury cases, dental malpractice and medical malpractice lawsuits for individuals and families who have been harmed, injured or died as a result of the carelessness or negligence of another for more than 20 years in and around Atlanta, Georgia and its surrounding areas, including Alpharetta, Austell, Avondale Estates, Chamblee, College Park, Conyers, Duluth, Decatur, Doraville, Hapeville, Johns Creek, Jonesboro, Lawrenceville, Norcross, Peachtree City, Riverdale, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Stone Mountain, and Smyrna. If you have been seriously injured and would like quality legal representation, contact Robert J. Fleming directly on (404) 525-5150 or contact us online.
