---
title: "Trigeminal neuralgia and facial neuropathic pain | Office Dent Ploiești"
description: "Electric-shock facial pain, or nerve pain after dental treatment? Diagnosis and treatment, working with the neurologist. Office Dent Ploiești."
url: "https://www.officedent.ro/en/treatments/orofacial-pain-tmj/trigeminal-neuralgia"
language: en
image: "https://www.officedent.ro/api/media/file/durere-de-maxilar-1200x630.jpg"
---

# Trigeminal neuralgia and neuropathic pain

Electric-shock pain in the face, or lasting pain after dental treatment: nerve pain that needs a careful diagnosis.

![Durere de maxilar](https://www.officedent.ro/api/media/file/durere-de-maxilar.jpg)

The trigeminal nerve carries sensation from the face, teeth and mouth. When the nerve itself is the source of pain, we speak of **neuropathic pain**. It is different from tooth or muscle pain and has different treatments, so the right diagnosis is essential.

## Trigeminal neuralgia

It shows as **attacks of very strong, short pain, like an electric shock or a stab**, usually on one side of the face (cheek, jaw, lip, sometimes around the eye). Attacks can be triggered by light touch: washing the face, brushing the teeth, eating, talking, a breeze.

Because the pain is often felt in the teeth, many patients see a dentist first and sometimes have root canals or extractions that don’t help. If a “toothache” comes in short attacks triggered by touch and the teeth are healthy, neuralgia should be considered.

## Neuropathic pain after an injury or a procedure

Rarely, after an extraction, a root canal, an implant, surgery or an injury, a persistent pain can remain, often with burning, tingling or numbness, in an area that seems to have healed normally. It is pain of the injured nerve (post-traumatic trigeminal neuropathic pain) and isn’t solved by more dental treatment.

## Diagnosis

-   a careful description of the pain (what it is like, how long it lasts, what triggers it) and testing of facial sensation
-   ruling out dental causes and other sources of pain
-   tests, usually an MRI, recommended together with the neurologist, to rule out other causes of neuralgia

## Treatment

-   **medication** that calms the nerves; not the usual painkillers, which usually don’t help with this pain
-   **nerve blocks** with local anaesthetic, for diagnosis and sometimes treatment (see [therapeutic injections](https://www.officedent.ro/en/treatments/orofacial-pain-tmj/therapeutic-injections))
-   **working with the neurologist** and, when medication isn’t enough, with the neurosurgeon, for interventional options
-   avoiding unnecessary dental treatment

Dr. Raluca Draghici has presented at national and international congresses on trigeminal neuralgia, post-traumatic neuropathy and the International Classification of Orofacial Pain (ICOP). [Book a consultation](https://www.officedent.ro/en/treatments/orofacial-pain-tmj/orofacial-pain-consultation).

## Frequently asked questions

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