There’s nothing worse than being in pain and not knowing why. If your face hurts, knowing how to deal with it is heavily dependent on knowing what you’re dealing with. Having an idea about the nature of your problem will make it a little easier to talk to your dentist, which can help treatment happen faster.
You’d need a professional to tell you for sure what dental emergency you’re dealing with, but if you want to know a little bit more about what the culprit for your facial pain could be, here are some of the most common causes of it.
Dental Abscess
Abscesses are small, painful lumps that result from infection. If you develop a dental abscess, it’s probably the result of advanced gum disease. This infection means that both the lump itself and the area around it are very painful. Abscesses may also be accompanied by a fever or foul taste in your mouth.
TMJD
Your temporomandibular joints, also known as TMJ, are the joints that connect your jaw to your face. If you grind your teeth, or if you’ve been struck in the jaw recently, these joints may have come out of alignment. This can result in discomfort when you open or close your mouth. These joints are also right next to your inner ear, so a TMJ disorder can also lead to nausea or vertigo, as well as migraines.
Trigeminal Neuralgia
The largest nerve in your head is the trigeminal nerve. While rare, this nerve can malfunction, resulting in pain. This condition is called trigeminal neuralgia, and it’s most common in women over 50.
If you find yourself experiencing unpredictable pain on one side of your face, accompanied by an aching or burning sensation, this could be the culprit.
Sinus Infection
Your sinuses run all over your face, by your cheeks, forehead, nose, and eyes. These sinuses can become inflamed as a result of an infection, which results in facial discomfort. In some cases, this discomfort may feel like a pressure building just under your eyes. This would be accompanied by cold-like symptoms—fever, cough, runny nose, etc.
As you can see, there are quite a few reasons your face could be hurting; more than can be written out here. Hopefully, this guide put you a little at ease and prepared you for a conversation with a professional dentist.
About the Author
At Stonebriar Smile Design, our incredible team of dentists will put their years of experience to work for you, ensuring that your oral health is as good as it can be. We also understand that good dentistry is about more than just good teeth, which is why we’ll be happy to work closely with your physician to offer incredible comprehensive care.
If you find yourself dealing with facial pain, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (469) 361-0081.
