Every pain in tha jaw is not dental pain. Pain that arises in the jaw could be related to nerves. It's when the nerve under the tooth is diseased. Such pain syndromes include facial or trigeminal neuralgia.
In trigeminal neuralgia, the pain usually starts from the jaw. It travels to the brain. It's a sharp shooting pain. It's an electric shock like sensation. It lasts for a few seconds. It may worsen with some triggers. Common triggers include chewing food, clenching teeth, brushing teeth, and at times even speaking.
The patients may become very weak physically because of poor nutrition. They are scared of eating food. They also get emotionally weak as they find difficulty speaking.
Such patients usually go to the dentists thinking it to be dental pain. Multiple visits to the dentists and ENT specialists may delay the diagnosis and treatment. It's actually related to the compression in Trigeminal Nerve.
Multiple options including medication like Carbamazepine, Oxcarbazepine, and nerve blocks are available to provide long term and complete relief to the patients.
Surgical options like microvascular decompression are available in cases where medicines are not effective.
We must consult a Neurologist in case of sharp shooting pains arising from the face towards the brain. Timely diagnosis and prompt treatment can save the patients' from severe pain and agony