Incidental treatment of maxillary dysesthesia with maxillary sinus lift procedure--a case report

A 54-year-old woman presented with an 8-month history of dysesthesia to the left palate with referred pain to the left infraorbital distribution after extraction of the left maxillary first and second premolars. The clinical and radiologic examination revealed an alveolar crestal bone dehiscence suggestive of an occult oral antral communication (OAC) that had spontaneously healed. Stimulation of the mucosa at this bony dehiscence consistently reproduced the dysesthesia. A sinus lift procedure was performed in this region for implant site development and also resulted in resolution of the dysesthesia. This case represents an instance in which surgical alteration of a trigger zone of neuropathic pain can result in its resolution.