Alternating Bell’sPalsyFollowingStaged Dental Procedures
Abstract
Facial nerve palsy can be caused by specific disease processes such as cerebrovascular events, infections and trauma. The lower motor neuron facial nerve paralysis which has no specific identifiable causation is termed Bell’s Palsy.
Bell’s palsy has been reported to occur following dental anaesthesia and dental related procedures. We report a 50 year old patient with ‘alternating’ facial nerve palsy (occurring on opposite sides, on two or more separate occasions) after two consecutive dental procedures.
Key words: Bell’sPalsy, dental anaesthesia, alternating Alternating Bell’s Palsy following a staged Dental Procedure
Introduction
Facial nerve palsy can be
…show more content…
She had received an alveolar nerve block for the procedure. At presentation, she had facial asymmetry, right sided facial numbness and inability to shut her right eyelid when blinking. She also reported difficulty in chewing her food on the right side. According to her, these symptoms first started some 12 hours after the dental procedure. Madam A did not have any history of Diabetes Mellitus
A diagnosis of Bell’s Palsy was made and she was treated with prednisolone, acyclovir and given a follow up appointment with the Neurology Specialist Clinic. Three weeks later her symptoms and signs had resolved.
Six weeks later, Madam A presented to the ED once again with left sided Bell’s Palsy. She reported that she had undergone another dental procedure ( the second of a two staged procedure) to the same right sided molar region. A telephone consult with her dental officer revealed that her anaesthesia had been straightforward and there were no complications during or just after the anaesthesia, observed at the dental clinic.
She was once more prescribed a course of prednisolone and acyclovir and given the appropriate advice and follow up. 3 months later her symptoms had resolved completely with no residual
Based on the progress report dated 03/11/16, the patient presents with neck pain, causing sharp and pinching pain, rated as 2/10. Patient reports that she has been better since the facet nerve blocks. Symptom is alleviated by injections and medications, and exacerbated by
Affected individuals develop unilateral facial paralysis over one to three days with forehead involvement and no other neurologic abnormalities. Symptoms typically peak in the first week and then gradually resolve over three weeks to three months (Mayo Clinic Health Letter, 2009).Those who are at more of a risk to Bell’s palsy include pregnant women, those with diabetes, those with upper respiratory disorders, and mostly young, middle- aged, adults (Crisan & Laza, 2010). This illness is much less common in individuals 10 years or younger and individuals 60 years and above in age.
Childhood illnesses include measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox. She has fallen many times however, has never broken any bones. Serious traumas include three concussions. Has had many surgeries including tonsils removed, gastric bypass, right hip replacement, 2 bilateral knee surgeries, cataracts removed, back surgery and is waiting for shoulders to be replaced. Reports sinus infections in the spring and fall due to pollen and mold. These symptoms are similar to the ones she is experiencing now. Several years ago, she traveled around the world for 7 months and was in England for the Mad Cow Disease outbreak.
Patient is an 86-year-old right-handed white female who is a poor historian. She states she saw me several years ago, but cannot recall for what. She did see Geoffrey Starr, MD in 2011 for episodes of numbness and tingling in the right side of her cheek. He did a workup, which included the EEG, EMG, and carotid studies. She was complaining of some right upper extremity and left lower extremity numbness and tingling as well. These were all negative. Her PCP switched her from aspirin 81 mg to Plavix 75 mg. Dr. Starr added Trental to that. The patient states that over the years, she continued to have the numbness and tingling episodes of the right side of her face. The last several seconds at times, rarely
Mrs.V had young children and was very active. The pain and swelling in her hands made it hard for her to take care of her kids and be active. It took the doctors 2 years to diagnose her because she did not show usual symptoms. Her doctor started her on a treatment. After six months on the plan it didn’t help the pain. She needed another alternative.
The symptoms to bell's palsy are very straightforward. One morning you wake and you basically notice that half or all of your face is partially or completely paralyzed. So symptoms include not being able to blink, not being able to fully contract your facial muscles that includes smiling and facial expressions.
The action of facial nerve or cranial nerve V11 involves different facial expressions and with these conditions it affects its functions. Moreover, patients with Bell’s Palsy frequently present with a abrupt commencement of symptoms that might be mistaken as stroke such as one sided facial dysfunctions with no blink control on the affected side, diminished tear production, and sagging of the mouth towards the affected side (Mayhew & Carhart, 2015). Additional signs and symptoms of Bells Palsy that may be seen in a patient within the first two days are changes with reference to their sense of taste, slurring speech, salivating, increased sensitivity to side of dysfunction (EMSWORLD,2015). Moreover, since the muscles do not pick up any fathomable impulses from the brain which resulted to non-contraction of the muscle. This is basically the root cause of why the affected individual shows a side of the face that sags and droops. To some extent, even blinking an eye becomes quite of a challenge and speaking properly becomes a labored effort (Mayhew & Carhart,
When this system experiences conditions such as facial nerve palsy or meningitis, it affects the
The prudent dentist must be aware of the mechanisms and clinical symptoms of referred pain, peripheral sensitization, central sensitization, and convergence. This knowledge will aide the clinician to be able to properly diagnose non-odontogenic oro-facial pain in order to treat the patient properly and to avoid doing irreversible harm to the patient, such as extractions or endodontic treatment on healthy
Research is also being done to help with the curing of Bell’s Palsy. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) performs extensive research in order to better the understanding of how the nervous system works and what causes dysfunction in the nervous system. Some of this research entails learning more about what causes nerve damage and certain diseases and conditions that cause nerve damage. Information gained from this research can aid neurologists to find the cause of Bell’s Palsy, which would obviously lead to better treatments (NINDS, 2011).
The study included different variables. Bell’s palsy itself is a dependent variable as its occurrence and relationship with immunization is being studied. A dichotomous dependent variable has been used in the study too, which is observed immunization status. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine, trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV) and any other type of vaccine are independent variables. Other independent variables include population of Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC), their age, sex, race and socioeconomic status, census distribution and their income. Hence, the authors are focusing on the problem of Bell’s palsy among children aged 18 or younger and its occurrence following the immunization with TIV, HBV or any
Visual fields full to confrontation. Extraocular muscles intact. PERRLADC. Normal facial symmetry, sensation and movement. Tongue and uvula were midline. Normal auditory acuity. Normal shoulder shrug.
Back pain can be caused by an instant jerk or constant bending. Back pain can last from a few days to a few weeks. It is also caused from damage to the spinal bones and tissue. Some lower back pain can be treated without surgery. The main goal of the treatment is to restore proper function and strength to the back, and prevent recurrence of the injury. Bell’s Palsy is known as a form of temporary facial paralysis resulting from damage or trauma to the 7th cranial nerve, one of the facial nerves. It can affect both sides of your face. Symptoms vary between different people like sudden weakness on one side of the face, drooping eyelid or corner of the mouth, drooling, dry eye or mouth, and altered taste. Bell’s Palsy can cause serious facial
A well admired theory says that edema and ischemia of the facial nerve result in compression within this bony canal. The cause of the edema and ischemia is not known. The compression can easily be seen in MRI scans with facial nerve improvement. The first portion, the labyrinthine segment of the facial canal, is the narrowest; the meatal foramen of this segment is of only about 0.66 mm in diameter. This is the most common site of compression of the facial nerve in Bell palsy. Because of the tight confines of the facial canal, it seems logical that inflammatory, demyelinating, ischemic, or compressive processes could impair neural conduction at this site.
Nerve injury in gingival graft procedures is a very rare accident. Nevertheless, there are important anatomic structures to be concern. The greater palatine foramen and mentonian foramen can be injuried from complication of dental injection, poor tissue handling or very large flaps. It is important to precisely document the area and type of sensation felt by the patient (anesthesia, dysesthesia, paresthesia) to monitor the