Facial pain is pain felt in any part of the face, consisting of the mouth and eyes. Although it’s usually due to an injury or a headache, facial pain may likewise be the outcome of a severe medical condition. Many causes of facial pain are harmless. However, if you have facial pain that appears to come with no known cause, call your medical professional for an examination.
What are Causes Facial Pain
Facial pain can be due to anything from an infection to nerve damage in the face. Common causes for facial pain consist of:
- an oral infection
- an ulcer, or open sore
- an abscess, such as a collection of pus under the surface tissue in the mouth
- a skin abscess, which is a collection of pus under the skin
- a headache
- a facial injury
- a tooth pain
More major causes for facial pain include:
- herpes zoster, or shingles
- a migraine headache
- sinus problems
- a sinus infection
- a nerve condition
People often describe facial pain as cramp-like, stabbing, or achy. Pain from other areas in the body, such as the ears or head, might radiate or infect your face.
What Are the Types of Face Pain?
The precise type of pain you feel will depend upon the cause. A dull, throbbing pain on one side of your face or around your mouth is generally due to issues within the mouth, such as a tooth pain, cavity, or abscess. If you experience this type of pain, call your dentist.
The pain associated with sinus problems feels like pressure or a hurting pain across the front of the cheekbones and underneath the eyes. Abscesses and ulcers will typically pulsate at the website
of the aching. Headaches and injuries can feel like a stabbing experience or can throb and ache.
Since there are numerous causes of facial pain, talk with your medical professional if you experience pain that’s unexplainable or intolerable.
When Is Face Pain an Emergency?
If you experience facial pain that appears unexpectedly and radiates from the chest or the left arm, call 911 right away. This might be the indication of an approaching cardiovascular disease.
Facial pain usually isn’t a medical emergency, and you can often get treatment at a regularly scheduled doctor’s visit.
How Is Facial Pain Diagnosed?
When visiting your medical professional, make sure that you tell them:
- what part of your face is harming
- how frequently you feel pain
- precisely where the pain is originating from
- what type of pain you feel
- how long the pain lasts
- what alleviates the pain
- any other symptoms experienced
Your doctor may order an imaging test, such as an X-ray or MRI scan making a diagnosis. These imaging tests work in identifying problems within the bones, muscles, and tissue. Your doctor can likewise use an X-ray to inspect the sinuses.
Your medical professional may take a blood sample to check for certain infections. This is a procedure with very little pain that includes drawing blood from your arm.
If your symptoms reveal a possible eye condition or if your physician is worried you may be having heart problems, they’ll buy additional tests.
Eye Pain
If an eye condition is the reason for your facial pain, your physician will refer you to an eye doctor who’ll give you a tonometry assessment. For this examination, your doctor will apply a numbing drop to each eye. Then, they’ll put a small strip of paper consisting of an orange color against your eyeball. Your optometrist will make use of a slit lamp that brightens your eye to inspect your cornea and other parts of your eye for damage. This test is effective in identifying ulcers and glaucoma.
Facial Pain Triggered by the Heart
An electrocardiogram (ECG) might be required to see if your heart is causing the issues. For this test, small, pain-free electrode monitors are positioned on your chest, arms, and legs. These monitors are linked to an ECG device, which takes a reading of your heart’s electrical activity. This test is handy in diagnosing a cardiovascular disease or abnormal heart rhythms.
What Are the Treatment Options Associated with Facial Pain?
Facial pain normally goes away as soon as a medical diagnosis and treatment plan is in result. Your medical professional will determine treatment choices for your facial pain based upon the cause. Pain causes by an infection such as sinus problems typically clears up after making use of antibiotics or permitting the infection to recover on its own.
Facial pain caused by a viral infection such as shingles might be associated with a rash. In some cases, the pain disappears without treatment within a few days to a couple of weeks. In other cases, nerve pain might continue for numerous months. Prescription antiviral medications like acyclovir and valacyclovir might reduce the duration of the rash, however your medical professional may use other medications to deal with any relentless nerve pain specifically.
If the facial pain is due to an oral condition, your dental practitioner can treat it by recommending prescription antibiotics, pulling your tooth, or carrying out a root canal.
Over-the-counter (OTC) pain medication can deal with facial pain brought on by cluster headaches or migraine headaches. However, sometimes facial pain caused by headaches doesn’t respond to OTC medications. Your physician might recommend a stronger medication for pain relief if this is the case.
