If You Suddenly Feel a Sharp, Stinging Pain in Your Face and It Is Not Caused by Your Teeth, Suspect Trigeminal Neuralgia: Treatment Methods Explained by a Munjeong-dong Dental Clinic

During daily life, a sudden stinging

and sharp pain may come and go

intermittently.

It seems like it is fine when eating,

so it does not seem like a tooth problem,

but then one side of the face suddenly feels tingling again.

Even after getting checked because you think it may be a tooth problem,

there is no cavity and the gums are fine..

What on earth is the problem?

At a Munjeong-dong dental clinic, we would like to explain

what you should suspect when you have this kind of unexplained

facial pain.

Facial pain may not be a tooth problem

When there is pain in the face or jaw area,

most people first suspect a tooth problem.

This is because cavities, gum disease, and TMJ disorders

are common causes.

However, even after a dental checkup,

if there is no problem with the teeth and

there are no abnormalities in the jaw joint or the chewing muscles,

the masseter and temporalis muscles, then

you need to think about other causes.

What you can suspect at this point

is trigeminal neuralgia.

The trigeminal nerve is a cranial nerve

responsible for facial sensation.

As its name suggests, it branches into three divisions

that cover different parts of the face.

The first branch is responsible for the forehead and around the eyes,

the second branch transmits sensation from the cheeks, upper lip, and upper teeth,

the third branch transmits sensation from the jaw, lower lip, and lower teeth.

Thanks to this nerve, we are able to

feel things touching our face

and detect cold and hot sensations.

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Trigeminal neuralgia is a pain disorder that occurs when

there is a problem with this trigeminal nerve.

When the nerve is compressed by a blood vessel

or stimulated by another cause,

the nerve malfunctions.

As a result, even without any stimulus,

it sends severe pain signals.

To use a comparison from the Munjeong-dong dental clinic,

it is similar to a broken fire alarm

ringing even though there is no fire.

The nerve sends incorrect signals, so

pain is felt even though there is actually no problem.

Characteristic symptoms

Trigeminal neuralgia has features that

distinguish it from ordinary toothache.

The pattern of pain is unique.

It feels like an electric shock,

or a sharp pain like being stabbed with a knife,

that suddenly appears.

Also, the pain lasts for a short time.

It appears briefly for a few seconds to at most 2 minutes,

then disappears and repeats again.

And it usually occurs on only one side.

It is rare for both sides to hurt at the same time,

and it tends to be concentrated in a specific area,

such as one cheek, the jaw, the upper lip, or the lower lip.

Why it is confused with toothache

Trigeminal neuralgia is often mistaken for toothache.

This is because the second and third branches of the trigeminal nerve

are responsible for the upper and lower teeth areas.

When pain occurs in this area,

it naturally feels like the teeth are hurting.

So even if you visit several dental clinics

and receive cavity treatment or root canal treatment,

the pain may not go away.

In some unfortunate cases, even healthy teeth are removed.

Therefore, even at a Munjeong-dong dental clinic,

if the cause is difficult to find even after a detailed examination,

trigeminal neuralgia is considered as a possibility.

Treatment methods

The first treatment method for this condition

is medication.

Drugs with anticonvulsant ingredients

are mainly used.

Medications such as carbamazepine or gabapentin

are prescribed.

These medications reduce pain by suppressing

the nerve's overactive response.

At the Munjeong-dong dental clinic,

pain often decreases after about a week

of taking the medication.

If there is no response to medication

or the side effects are severe,

other treatment through the neurology department is needed.

A procedure called microvascular decompression

may be performed, in which the blood vessel compressing the nerve

is separated from the nerve,

and

through radiofrequency thermocoagulation,

part of the nerve is blocked with heat

to prevent pain signals from being transmitted.

Gamma Knife radiosurgery can also be performed

a non-invasive method that uses radiation

to treat the nerve.

Which method is appropriate

depends on the patient's condition and the cause,

so consultation with a specialist is necessary.

Do not leave unexplained pain untreated

As I explained today,

if you have unexplained facial pain,

do not just put up with it and let it pass.

If it does not seem like a tooth problem

but keeps hurting,

there is a possibility that it is trigeminal neuralgia.

As explained by the Munjeong-dong dental clinic,

if you receive an accurate diagnosis,

you can control the pain with appropriate treatment,

so please check the cause first!

Treatment period: 25.12.27~26.01.15