Our Services / Face Pain

What is face pain?

You can feel face pain in any part of your face, including the eyes and mouth. Common causes of face pain include:

• Chronic headaches
• Current or past injuries
• Bacterial or viral infections
• Dental abscesses
• Sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses)
• Autoimmune disorders (like multiple sclerosis and lupus)
• Occipital neuralgia (eye nerve pain)
• Trigeminal neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia can cause severe face pain. The disorder is caused by a problem with the trigeminal nerve. This nerve runs from the base of your brain to your face.

What are the symptoms of face pain?

The face pain symptoms you experience will depend on the cause. They can include facial weakness and numbness. If you have an infection in your mouth, you might get a dull, throbbing pain in that area. Pressure or aching pain in your forehead, across your cheekbones, and under your eyes could be sinusitis.

If you have trigeminal neuralgia, you suffer short periods of intense, sharp pain. You might experience an extreme burning or electric shocklike sensation. Symptoms tend to only affect one side of your face.

How is face pain treated?

Over-the-counter medications relieve pain caused by headaches, but you might need prescription medication for severe migraines. Antibiotics will clear mouth and sinus infections. If a dental problem causes your face pain, your dentist can clean and fill a cavity, perform a root canal procedure, or pull the tooth.

If you have trigeminal neuralgia, the Jackson Neurosurgery Clinic surgeons have many years of experience successfully treating this condition. Procedures they can use to treat trigeminal neuralgia include:

Microvascular decompression

Microvascular decompression removes or relocates blood vessels in your face that are irritating or pressing on the facial nerves.

Gamma knife radiosurgery

Gamma knife radiosurgery uses radiation to damage the trigeminal nerve. This damage stops the nerve from sending pain messages to your brain and can sometimes eliminate the pain entirely.

Cortical brain stimulation

Cortical brain stimulation uses electrodes (wires) that your surgeon places on the surface of your brain. An implantable pulse generator (IPG) under your skin sends electrical signals through the electrodes into your brain. These signals disrupt the pain messages from your trigeminal nerve.

If you’re experiencing symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia, the Jackson Neurosurgery Clinic team can diagnose your condition, then determine which treatment is right for you.

Call Jackson Neurosurgery Clinic today or book an appointment online for tailored face pain treatment.