Chronic Therapy-Resistant Neck Pain in a Fifty-Year-Old Man: The Role of Partially Impacted Third Molars - Case Report and New Pathophysiological Insights

Abstract

Background: Inflammatory and mechanical stimuli in tooth/jaw pathologies can have far-reaching consequences via trigeminal and autonomic circuitry and can cause systemic (e.g., autoimmune) diseases and pain conditions outside the tooth/jaw region. In addition to a case report, we also describe new pathophysiological findings. Case Report: We report on a patient with chronic, therapy-resistant neck pain whose cause lied in the tooth/jaw region, specifically, in wisdom teeth with space problems, and partially impacted. The tooth/jaw area itself was not painful; however, neck pain developed via the nucleus spinalis n. trigemini which extends into the cervical medulla. Surgical restoration of the wisdom teeth and subsequent neural therapy treatment of the extraction scars provided permanent pain relief. Conclusion: In case of therapy-resistant neck pain (among others), it is worthwhile to look for pathologies in the dental/jaw area, possibly allowing for a causal therapy.