In dentistry we are familiar with a type of Bell's Palsy which is
known as to etiology.

Infection in the upper molar area is often a cause of Bell's Palsy.

Also, dental anesthetic injections may inadvertently harm the {*filter*}
nerve creating a paralysis.

I find it interesting that most of the posts regarding Bell's Palsy in
this "medical" conference OVERLOOK the possibility of dental causes.  
The legal boundaries which are drawn on the body between "the mouth"
and "the rest of the body" make cross-disciplinary knowledge more
scarce.  The result for patients may be the idiopathic diagnosis.

I'm a dentist who has seen these patients who have had the etiology of
significant pathology overlooked--largely, I believe, because of the
boundaries between medicine and dentistry.

We (dentists and physicians) need to communicate more.

J. Edward Kendrick  QSZ portx %4 rz %3 /

 * 1st 1.11 #2774 * The tooth, the whole tooth and nothing but the tooth.

Bell's palsy is (by definition) without a known cause; if a cause can
be identified, it's a {*filter*} nerve palsy, or seventh nerve palsy. Part
of the evaluation of a {*filter*} paralysis should be a good history and
physical to identify causes such as infections, trauma, or local
anesthetics.

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Greg Froehlich, MD
White River Junction, VT