Work and your
Trigeminal Neuralgia

Covid-19 &
trigeminal neuralgia?

Across the world, the Covid-19 pandemic has had long-lasting effects on society. Some of which include new rules and regulations when using transport such as trains, buses and planes. As a result, this page is designed to give you helpful tips or information on how to cope with said rules in the context of trigeminal neuralgia.

For those with TN, mask wearing may not be possible due to it irritating or touching trigger zones. However, there are a few options for those with TN, which include:

Face Coverings

Face coverings, e.g. masks, are currently required for travelling on any public transport (TFL) in London. While it is no longer compulsory by other route operators, often it is encouraged.

The use of a visor: Visors come in either a spongey head band or as a pair of glasses with a face shield. Both of these are acceptable face coverings and may not rest on trigger zones.

Sunflower Lanyard

Wearing a sunflower lanyard: The sunflower lanyard was designed for hidden disabilities. As TN is often not physically obvious, this could be an option for some sufferers.

TNA Alert Card Or App

The TNA alert card or app is full of information. If questioned, showing this information should be more than sufficient in explaining why a face covering cannot be worn.

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NHS Dental Appointments

In time of emergency flare ups, dentists are often the appropriate clinicians to see TN patients. They are able to lidocaine local anaesthetic black to provide 2-3 hours of pain relief. While this is not a long-term fix, this can provide a sufferer with the necessary respite to eat, clean, regroup and rethink.

During the Covid pandemic, CQC unfortunately forced dental practices to close. Furthermore, new regulations on “aerosol generating procedures” (any procedure where there is water spray) means that dentists are not able to enter surgeries for 30 minutes after treatments as a result of the risk of aerosols lingering in the air that could spread covid. Both of these issues have created huge backlogs within both the private and NHS dental systems. Some dental practices have waiting lists for routine care that are very long.

However, a condition of NHS dental contracts is that – although they may not have to see a patient who is not registered for routine care – they must provide emergency care to all patients. As a result, even if you are not registered with a dentist, you may be able to seek emergency dental care.

If you pay for your NHS care (e.g. do not receive an exemption or benefit). There will be an NHS charge.

Work and your Trigeminal Neuralgia