NEURALGIA OF THE JAWBONES.

Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 776, 14 February 1871, Page 3

NEURALGIA OF THE JAWBONES.

IDr Gross, of Philadelphia, describes i the " American Journal of tiie [edical Sciences" for July, 1870, a form f neuralgia of the jaw-bones, which he elieves has' not been previously des■ibed. its seat is in the remnant of ie alveolar process of edentulous peruis, or in the alveolar structure, and in : e overlying gum j and it is met with liefly in old subjects. It is more nuijon in the upper than in the lower ,w, and it is generally limited to the me. The guiu is always very hard id dense, grating more or less under ie knife, and adhering very firmly to [e alveolar process. The pain is ly paroxysmal; sometimes it is moentary; occasionally it lasts for , ~ours, and in rare cases it continues ! indefinitely with but little mitigation, ilt may be sharp and darting, dull, lieavy, aching, boring, or gnawing. Pressure generally relieves rather than aggravates it. In many cases, wdien it is very severe, there may be some spasms of the facial muscles. Dr Gross ■believes that the affection depends on •compression of the minute nerves in the alveolar matter on their canals. The comes on gradually, and proceeds from bad to worse. The general health is eventually impaired. The pain is aggravated and the paroxysms are prolonged by whatever tends to lower the vital .powers. Sometimes the disease ajrpears to be malarious, the paroxysms coming on periodically. Pr Gross relates five cases of the disorder, in all of wdn'ch entire relief was obtained by removing the affected portion of the alveolar process by means of cutting pliers. This he regards as the ■only effectual treatment. A mild course of chalybeate tonics may be rerequived afterwards, when the patient is anaemic or affected with indigestion.