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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · European Journal of General Dentistry 2015; 4(01): 21-24
DOI: 10.4103/2278-9626.149683
Case Report

Dental restoration induced orofacial pain and its management

Xiuxin Liu
Department of Dentistry, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14620, USA
,
Hans S. Malmstrom
Department of Dentistry, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14620, USA
,
Ross Tallents
Department of Dentistry, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14620, USA
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Abstract

Dental procedure induced pain may develop into a chronic condition that accompanied with functional or neuropathy changes in the nerve system. In this case, severe persistent pain gradually developed after repeatedly placing a subgingival amalgam restoration in the right second molar. Hyperalgesia and allodynia were present at the affected region. A provisional diagnosis of chronic orofacial pain with peripheral and central sensitization was considered. After re-contouring, local debridement and occlusal adjustment the pain disappeared. The underlying mechanism in this case is neuronal sensitization and peripheral Aβ-fiber mechanoreceptor activation. Its diagnosis and management depend on identification and treatment of the cause for pain generation and sensitization.

Keywords

Allodynia - central sensitization - dental restoration - neuropathic pain - orofacial pain


Publication History

Article published online:
01 November 2021

© 2015. European Journal of General Dentistry. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.)

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