Facial pain - causes, treatment and symptoms

When facial pain occurs

Pain in the face is not a headache inside the skull, but pain in the temples, cheeks, jaw joint, the environment of the nose, mouth and eyes, facial muscles and facial skin.

contents

• When facial pain occurs
• causes
• What does the doctor say?
• treatment

Although facial pains sometimes overlap with headaches, they are not identical to them. Doctors distinguish between acute and chronic pain that is localized in the face.

The pain may include the entire face or just individual areas such as the chin or nose. They can occur in one half of the face or in both; they can spread to the neck, shoulders and upper back.

causes

The complaints often have their basis in nervous disorders, ie in the nerve tracts that run through the face. Pain originating from such neuralgia occurs abruptly, cutting and hurts a lot. Touch, cold or light can trigger them.

Herpes diseases also cause facial pain. These are also known as facial rose, which itches and burns inflamed skin. Also dysfunctions in the masticatory muscles and the TMJ cause severe pain.

In addition, toothache can shift to the face, without the focus of infection is immediately recognizable. A molar in a molar or a cyst on a wisdom tooth radiates on the nerve tracts that run from the jaw to the ears on the corresponding side of the face.

Diseases that are not pain in the face in the strict sense affect the face. These include eye infections as well as sinus infections. Discomfort of the cervical spine and tension of the neck muscles radiates not infrequently on the face.

Facial pain can also be associated with illnesses inside the head. These include brain tumors, strokes and migraines.

What does the doctor say?

If it hurts your face for a second, you do not have to go to the doctor. But if the pain recurs again and again, and they are also sudden and intense, then look for a physician.

Even a general practitioner quickly recognizes in their medical history and the specific symptoms, what causes it may be: A neuralgia, for example, manifests itself in very painful episodes, either without external cause or in response to an external stimulus.

The pain of chewing or jaw joint indicates dysfunction in the muscles and joints there.

A chronic pain is called in the jargon atypical facial pain - a paraphrase that doctors do not know the cause to this day.

In cases of prolonged pain, the family doctor refers the patient, depending on the disease, to ENT specialists, orthodontists, dentists, internists or even psychotherapists.

treatment

There are three ways to treat it for the pain caused by the nerves.

1. A teflon pad between the vessel and nerve serves as a buffer to protect the nerve. The pain ends immediately after the operation.
2. When the nervous system is heated, the pain also recedes, but often comes back after years.
3. Irradiation takes a long time to work. The pain usually only returns after months.

In dysfunction of temporomandibular joint or masticatory muscles (craniomandibular dysfunction), especially the masseter muscle under the earlobe is affected. Inflammation in the temporomandibular joint can also be extremely painful, but similar pain is also caused by psychologically induced tension of the masticatory muscles, including teeth grinding.

Teeth grinding can trigger pain in the visual field. (Image: Brigitte Meckle / fotolia.com)

Often the pain is strongest when the person wakes up, as they often crunch at night. For treatment, a bite splint is used. This relieves the joint and changes the position when biting. Physiotherapy helps if the masticatory muscles are the problem. The same applies to a massage of the muscles.

Progressive muscle relaxation according to Jacobson helps as well as a learned handling of stress. If necessary, psychological or psychotherapeutic assistance is needed. Antidepressants relax, but should only be given in small doses.

If the temporomandibular joint is worn, then it is recommended to apply cartilage remnants and anti-inflammatory drugs are recommended for infections. (Dr. Utz Anhalt)
Specialist supervision: Barbara Schindewolf-Lensch (doctor)