Trigeminal neuralgia
Overview
Trigeminal neuralgia is sudden, severe facial pain. It's often describedas a sharp shooting pain or like having an electric shock in the jaw, teeth or gums.
Symptoms
Sudden, severe, sharp/electric shock pain in face/jaw. One side.
Causes
Trigeminal neuralgia is usually caused by compression of the trigeminal nerve. This is the nerve inside the skull that transmits sensations of pain and touch from your face, teeth and mouth to your brain. The compression of the trigeminal nerve is usually caused by a nearby blood vessel pressing on part of the nerve inside the skull. Trigeminal neuralgia can also happen when the trigeminal nerve is damaged by another medical condition, such asmultiple sclerosis (MS)or a tumour. The attacks of pain are usually brought on by activities that involve lightly touching the face, such as washing, eating and brushing the teeth, but they can also be triggered by wind – even a slight breeze or air conditioning – or movement of the face or head. Sometimes the pain can happen without a trigger. Read more about thecauses of trigeminal neuralgia.
Treatment
Anticonvulsants (carbamazepine); Surgery (MVD).
Prevention
Avoid known triggers (e.g. cold wind, touching face).
When to see a doctor
See GP if: frequent/severe facial pain.