Facial pain can feel sharp, stabbing, aching or burning. It often interferes with speaking, eating or even simple facial movements. It may stem from dental, jaw or throat conditions, or originate from the nervous system within the brain, such as in trigeminal neuralgia.
Common Symptoms
Common facial pain symptoms include:
- Sudden, shock-like facial pain
- Persistent aching or burning sensation
- Pain triggered by chewing, talking, brushing, or light touch
- Intermittent episodes or steady discomfort
- Facial numbness or sensitivity
The symptoms may arise from:
- Neuropathic origins, including injury to the trigeminal nerve, resulting in burning or shock-like pain, which can occur after dental work or trauma
- Muscoskeletal or inflammatory cases, such as temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dysfunction or sinus inflammation
- Nociceptive causes, including jaw pain (TMJ) or facial inflammation
- Neurologic pain, particularly trigeminal neuralgia, delivers brief, severe electric-shock attacks
Our Diagnostic Process
Facial pain is diagnosed through a clinical evaluation that considers symptom history, location, and triggers, often supported by physical and neurological exams, dental assessments, or imaging studies to identify underlying causes.
Our approach includes
- Clinical evaluation
A detailed discussion of symptoms, potential triggers, and how they affect your daily life - Differential diagnosis
Assessment based on recognized clinical standards to accurately guide evaluation and identify potential causes - Advanced diagnostics (if indicated)
High-resolution MRI or neuroimaging to rule out structural or nerve-related contributors - Comprehensive physical exam
Examination of the head, mouth, throat, eyes, teeth, and cranial nerves, particularly when a neurological source is suspected
Treatment Options
Advanced diagnostics and monitoring
We use state-of-the-art tools, including 3 Tesla (3T) MRI with advanced volumetric analysis and expert neuroradiology review, to pinpoint the source of your facial pain and monitor progress over time.
Medication management
Depending on the cause, we may prescribe medications that target nerve-related pain, reduce inflammation or address underlying conditions. Both acute and preventive options are carefully chosen and adjusted to your response, side effects and lifestyle.
Botox® injections
For certain chronic or neuropathic pain conditions, Botox can help calm overactive nerve signaling and reduce pain intensity.
Nerve blocks
Targeted injections deliver medication to overactive nerves to quickly relieve pain and reset nerve pathways. This includes trigeminal nerve blocks and SPG (sphenopalatine ganglion) blocks, both effective for specific facial pain syndromes.
Why Choose Salma Health?
We’ve reimagined how depression care should feel: integrated, proactive and personal.
Personalized care plans
Every treatment plan is tailored to your unique biology, history and goals—not a one-size-fits-all approach
Integrated clinical team
Psychiatrists, neurologists, therapists, specialists and care coordinators work together to ensure no piece of your care happens in isolation
Precision diagnostics
We use advanced tools to understand your brain, not just your symptoms, helping us match you to the right interventions faster
Whole-person focus
We address the mind-body connection, emphasizing emotional, physical and cognitive wellbeing
Ongoing partnership
Care doesn’t stop after one visit. We monitor outcomes and adapt your plan over time as your needs evolve
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