Trigeminal Neuralgia

What is trigeminal neuralgia?

The trigeminal nerve is a very important nerve that carries signals from your face to your brain. It lets you feel any sensations in your face.

Sometimes the trigeminal nerve can become damaged due to a stroke, aging, multiple sclerosis or other brain conditions. Brain tumors or blood vessels in your brain can also put pressure on the nerve. If you have trigeminal neuralgia, you may feel terrible pain in your face while doing simple, everyday activities, such as touching your face or brushing your teeth.

Trigeminal neuralgia pain may only affect one part or your entire face. You may experience short, infrequent pain attacks at first; however, over time you might feel pain more often and for longer periods of time. You should talk to your doctor about facial pain, especially if it happens more than once or for a long period of time.