Facial Pain Treatment

Personal Solutions

The core need with facial pain is to recognise how individual this can be. Patients should have access to a complete range of skills, for diagnosis and treatment.

A dentist, or GP may refer you to a dental specialist, ENT, neurology, or a pain clinic. Whilst they may offer solutions, facial pain treatment deals with a highly complex part of your body and a broader view can help.

At our London clinic, you see a maxillofacial consultant, experienced across those disciplines. They are there to bring understanding and find a solution for your condition.

Where suitable, we work with specialist facial therapy professionals, to relieve mild facial pain. Surgery, or other intervention may be required but our approach is to try to minimise the need for this.

Accurate Diagnosis

Analysing the history of facial pain matters. A consultant will want to understand the timing, duration, location and severity, they will discuss relieving and aggravating factors, associated symptoms, in the facial area, or elsewhere.

Medical and family history can play a part, jaw joint disorders for example can be hereditary. Life events, or lifestyle choices may be having an impact.

A physical examination is naturally part of diagnosis. Head, neck and jaw muscle movement can be assessed, internal, or external colour changes, tenderness, palpation, unwanted growths, or swelling in the glands.

There could be situations where lab analysis of tissue, or blood will assist. The latest imaging equipment can add insight, x-ray tomography, MRI, or CT scans.

Considering every piece of evidence relevant to your case counts and adds to your consultant’s insight, which is the ultimate tool. The complex, cranio-facial area can be subject to a range of issues.

Prevalent Conditions

Adhering to the principle of each case being unique is vital and we do not wish to offer a list of possibilities. Mentioning conditions we often treat in relation to facial pain may still be helpful.

Dental problems are a primary cause, although less so when the pain is long term. Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and other jaw disorders are next in line, which are more common than is appreciated and regularly cause distress beyond the jaw.

Trigeminal neuralgia, inflammation of the trigeminal nerve, is relatively prevalent, along with variations of this. A cause of high level facial pain, often described as similar to an electric shock.

Blocked, or poorly functioning salivary glands can cause wider pain. Rarer conditions such as burning mouth syndrome, or vascular causes, such as giant cell arteritis may need to be factored in.

Whilst benign cysts and lesions can cause pain, similar symptoms arise from cancerous growths. Where there is evidence to suggest this, prompt investigation and diagnosis matter, although thankfully a rare outcome.

Treatment At Our London Clinic

The first step is an appointment with an experienced maxillofacial consultant. They assess your condition in detail, get to know the affect this has on you and ultimately, create a personal treatment plan.

There are conditions which will respond to medication, or therapy. In others, ranging from salivary glands, to tumours, or cysts, or relieving nerve pressure, surgery may be an answer but needs careful consideration.

Our consultants and support staff understand the effect facial pain has on life. They are there to help, through detailed diagnosis, explanation and individual treatment. You are welcome to get in touch at any time.