The diagnosis of facial pain is frequently not called headache pain and often receives a wrong diagnosis. Possible causes of facial pain are TMJ disordrs, trigeinal neuralgia, parotid gland disorders, masticatory muscle pain or pain referred from the cervical an shoulder reasons. Facial pain may resolve easily with neuromuscular dental treatment but it is important to rule out pain of organic nature.
Facial pain and sinus pain are frequently different terms patients use to describe pain referred from muscles which are the easiet pain a neuromuscular dentist treats.
When there is neuralgia pain it is usually sharp, sudden and lancinating and very emotionally charge. I have had patients with trigeminal neuralgia that will protect their trigger area no matter what. It is important to identify triggers that set off this type of excruciating pain. I have seen many patients over the years with neuralgia like pains. Some resonded well to neuromuscular dental treatment immediately while others responded to trigger point injections.
Frequently the area must be calmed down by drug therapy or counter irritants like capascin cream before attempting to place a patient on a TENS unit.
