Facial Pain
What are the causes of facial pain?
It can be hard to find the cause of facial pain as the face has many nerves, muscles, bones, teeth, tissues and joints connecting in a tight space.
Common causes of facial pain include:
Trigeminal Neuralgia
Viral infection such as chicken pox, shingles and cold sores
Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, affecting the jaw joint
A dental problem
Sinus infection
Migraine or cluster headache
Chronic muscle pain syndrome
What is Trigeminal Neuralgia?
Trigeminal neuralgia, also called tic douloureux, is a chronic pain condition that can cause extreme, sudden burning or shock-like face pain. Trigeminal neuralgia pain is typically felt on one side of the jaw or cheek. It occurs most often in people over age 50, but it can occur at any age, and is more common in women than in men. There is some evidence that the disorder runs in families, perhaps because of an inherited pattern of blood vessel formation.
The presumed cause of Trigeminal neuralgia is a blood vessel pressing on the trigeminal nerve in the head as it exits the brainstem. It may be part of the normal aging process but in some cases it is the associated with another disorder, such as multiple sclerosis or other disorders characterized by damage to the myelin sheath that covers certain nerves.
How do you treat Trigeminal Neuralgia?
As a large number of conditions can cause facial pain, Trigeminal neuralgia can be difficult to diagnose. But finding the cause of the pain is important as the treatments for different types of pain may differ. Treatment options include medicines such as anticonvulsants and tricyclic antidepressants, different nerve blocks and surgery.