DR ELLIE CANNON: What can be done to ease pain of ‘electric shocks’ in my mouth?

Q. Three years ago while on holiday I started suffering what felt like electric shocks in my mouth. When I got back I visited the dentist, who diagnosed me with trigeminal neuralgia. My GP agreed, but couldn’t offer me any advice or treatment. Luckily the pain disappeared over time, but a few weeks ago it started again. My doctor prescribed pregabalin, but it hasn’t helped. Can anything else be done?

A. Trigeminal neuralgia causes attacks of sudden, severe facial pain, usually on one side of the face. Patients often describe it as like electric shocks or sharp, shooting pains in the jaw, teeth or gums. The attacks are usually short, lasting from a few seconds to a few minutes, but in serious cases this can happen up to 100 times a day. They can be triggered by touch, talking and…