You don’t have to suffer from nerve pain in Long Beach, CA. Dr. Douglas Wall is a local orofacial pain specialist who can help diagnose and treat nerve pain in the face.

What Is The Trigeminal Nerve?

The trigeminal nerve is a major nerve that serves as the sensory, as well as the motor nerve for the lower half of the face. It carries pain signals from the skin and muscles on one side of your jaw to your brain, where it is interpreted as simple pressure or non-painful touch.

What Causes Pain In This Area?

Several factors may cause pain to radiate from the lower facial region. Pain may result from a head injury, a tumor, multiple sclerosis, or dental work. Dental work done on a wisdom tooth or severely crooked teeth may cause Trigeminal Neuralgia pain.

Trigeminal Neuralgia is caused by a blood vessel pressing on the trigeminal nerve in the skull. The nerve splits and branches out throughout the face and head. Pain in the area may get triggered when you brush your teeth, eat hot or cold food/liquids, yawn, apply make-up, stretch your face, or speak. The sharp spurts of pain may last from a few seconds to about two minutes.

How Can An Orofacial Pain Specialist Help Treat This Issue?

When you visit our office in Long Beach, CA, for nerve pain, our staff can use technology to image the position of the blood vessel pressing on the trigeminal nerve. If it is pressing on one of the nerve's major branches, our staff may recommend surgery to relieve pressure. 

Dr. Wall will use this time to see if the pain is occurring due to a dental problem. A thorough examination of the head and neck will rule out injury.

We can help you manage the pain by recommending various facial exercises. Other treatment options may include massage therapy, ultrasonic or electrical muscle stimulation, or Glycerol injections.

Dr. Wall can help you deal with facial nerve pain in Long Beach, CA. Come to our office so we can help diagnose and treat this issue with compassion and expertise. Call us at (562) 597-1414 for a consultation today.