Atypical Facial Pain

What is atypical facial pain?

Atypical facial pain is a persistent pain in the face for which no cause has been found.

Cause

The cause of atypical facial pain has not yet been identified. It is not caused by a poorly functioning nervous system, and psychiatric causes are not involved either. It is possible that the pain is caused by certain processes in the brain or nerves which have not been identified so far.

Signs and symptoms

Atypical facial pain is a chronic pain that occurs just as often in men as in women. The pain is there every day, usually throughout the day. At first, the pain is often located on one side of the face, but later it may also affect both sides. The pain usually feels as if it comes from deep within. It often starts around the nose, mouth or chin, later spreading to the upper or lower jaw or to larger parts of the face or neck.

How is atypical facial pain diagnosed?

If you have atypical facial pain, you will be given a thorough neurological examination to exclude other possible causes of your pain. You will also be examined by a dentist and an ear, nose and throat specialist.

Do I need additional examinations?

  • Diagnostic examination for other non-physical factors important for your pain, have already been done by yourself trough filling out your pain questionnaires.
  • If any abnormalities are found, you will be given further examinations, depending on the findings. These are usually done by a specialist to whom you will be referred.

What are my treatment possibilities?

Multidisciplinary Treatment

Depending on the cause of your pain, your pain specialist will decide whether or not to embark on physical treatment. Based on the results of the completed pain questionnaire, additional examinations can be carried out and, apart from physical treatment, other methods of treatment will be suggested.

Non-physical Treatments

If the results of your pain questionnaire are abnormal, your pain specialist will offer you one of the non-physical treatments listed below:

Physical Treatments

Medication

Interventional Pain Treatments

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