Health Encyclopedia

Face pain

Definition

Face pain may be dull and throbbing or an intense, stabbing discomfort in one or both sides of the face or forehead.

Considerations

Pain that starts in the face may be caused by a nerve disorder, an injury, or an infection in a structure of the face. Face pain may also begin elsewhere in the body.

Sometimes face pain occurs for no known reason.

Common Causes

Abscessed tooth (continuous throbbing pain on one side of the lower face aggravated by eating or touching)
Cluster headache
Herpes zoster (shingles) or herpes simplex (cold sores) infection
Injury to the face
Migraine
Myofascial pain syndrome
Sinusitis or sinus infection (dull pain and tenderness around the eyes and cheekbones that worsens when bending forward)
Tic douloureux
Temporomandibular joint dysfunction syndrome

Home Care

Follow the treatment prescribed for the underlying cause.

Painkillers may provide temporary relief, but if the pain is severe or persistent, consult your primary health care provider or dentist.

Call your health care provider if

Face pain is accompanied by chest, shoulder, neck, or arm pain. This could mean a heart attack. Call your local emergency number (such as 911).
Pain is throbbing, worse on one side of the face, and aggravated by eating. Call a dentist.
Pain is persistent, unexplained, or accompanied by other unexplained symptoms. Call your primary health care provider.

What to expect at your health care provider's office

In emergency situations (such as a possible heart attack), the patient will be stabilized first. Then, a medical history will be obtained and a physical examination performed. For tooth problems, expect a referral to a dentist or an orthodontist.

Medical history questions documenting face pain in detail may include the following:

What part of the face is in pain?
Is the pain on both sides?
If the pain is only on one side, which one?
Is the pain over a sinus (forehead, cheekbones, etc.)?
Did the pain begin suddenly?
Is face pain occurring repeatedly (is it recurrent)?
How long have the episodes of face pain lasted (for how many months)?
How long does each episode of pain last (how many seconds)?
Is the pain worse when speaking, chewing, swallowing?
Does the pain develop when touching a specific part of the face (trigger point)?
Did face pain occur prior to developing a brain or nervous system problem (weakness, speech loss, etc.)?
What other symptoms are also present?

Diagnostic tests that may be performed include:

ECG (if heart problems are suspected)
Tonometry (if glaucoma is suspected)
X-rays of the sinuses
Dental x-rays (if a tooth problem is suspected)

Neurological tests will be performed if nerve damage is suspected.

Review Date:1/18/2007
Reviewed By:Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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