Diagnosing Facial Pain
Facial Pain Causes
Pain that starts in the face may be caused by:
- A nerve disorder, such as trigeminal neuralgia
- An facial injury
- An infection in a structure of your face
Face pain may also begin somewhere else in your body. It sometimes happens for reasons that are not known.
Facial Pain Diagnosis
Many people with facial pain see many doctors and have many medical tests and dental procedures before they are successfully diagnosed and treated.
Tests to determine what’s causing your facial pain may include:
- Magnetic resonance imaging
- Careful dental, head and neck evaluation
- A thorough neurological examination
In the OHSU Facial Pain Program, we have developed some questions to help you understand your facial pain. These are not a substitute for seeing your doctor if you have facial pain. The answers may help you decide to see your primary care doctor or a facial pain specialist.
Learn how to make an appointment with the OHSU Facial Pain Program
Classifying Your Facial Pain
Dr. Kim Burchiel, the OHSU Brain Institute expert on facial pain and trigeminal neuralgia, has developed a system to classify facial pain that may assist your primary care doctor or orther primary healthcare provider when diagnosing your face pain. Read more about Dr. Burchiel's facial pain classification system.
Try our free interactive Facial Pain Diagnosis Tool