Facial Pain

Over the course of the last three decades, we have seen thousands of patients in our practice who complain of persistent pain in their faces, ears, teeth, and/or jaws. Their pain is often accompanied by tightness and soreness in their jaw and facial muscles, difficulty opening their mouths, difficulty chewing due to pain, and sometimes, burning and tingling in their face and lips. Others have lingering headaches that have defied diagnosis.

Sadly, it’s common for us to see patients who, because all treatment has failed, have been told by their doctors that their facial pain was all in their heads. Sometimes, they feel like they’re being personally blamed for their problem.

If you are one of those people whose facial pain has lingered, not only is your pain real, it is not your fault! At New York TMJ & Orofacial Pain, your symptoms are familiar to us and can be effectively treated. If you frequently take pain medication and have trouble at work or school because of your facial pain, there is help for you here.

To make an appointment, call 888-560-6674. If you can’t call, complete this quick form , and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Why Facial Pain Is Often Misunderstood & Misdiagnosed

You Have Referred Pain

Referred pain occurs when the location of the pain is not where the pain is actually coming from. The most familiar example is when people experience pain in their left arm just before or during a heart attack. They feel pain in their arm, but the problem is actually in their heart. Referred facial pain is often the reason that treatment fails and pain continues.

The Intensity Of Your Pain Has Been Misinterpreted

Your facial pain may have become so intense that you’re convinced that something is terribly wrong with you. Although the intensity of symptoms often has nothing to do with the seriousness of a problem, some doctors will order lots of medical tests, which can cause you tremendous anxiety while you wait for the results. If the test results showed nothing wrong, your initial relief is replaced by, “My face still hurts; what’s wrong with me?”

The Connection Between Emotions And Pain

Emotions and stress can cause muscles to become fatigued and tense, which results in significant pain. Not only can the concept be difficult for patients to understand, but many doctors are also unwilling to explain the connection between emotions and pain adequately. This is why it’s been so difficult for you to find appropriate treatment for your facial pain.

If you’ve been suffering from persistent facial pain that has not responded to treatment, you’re in the right place. At New York TMJ & Orofacial Pain, we understand facial pain problems and are dedicated to helping people like you. Our team is led by board-certified Orofacial Pain specialists who are highly trained and experienced in the treatment of facial pain.

How We Get To The Bottom Of Your Facial Pain Problem

Our relationship with you starts with a conversation. This informal way of collecting information is the most important part of your visit to our office. We believe that making an accurate diagnosis can only be achieved by taking a thorough history. For this reason, our first priority is to listen to what you have to say.

Next, we’ll examine the places that are hurting and places that may be producing referred pain.

We will examine your jaw joints (your TMJs), your jaw, your facial and neck muscles, your teeth, oral structures, and the function of the nerves in your face. The examination enables us to determine whether your problem lies within your nerves, muscles, joints, teeth, or other neighboring structures and whether we need further tests to make the best decisions for your problem.

Our thorough evaluation process will provide directions of care that will make you feel better – which is the ultimate goal. To make an appointment at one of our three offices in the NYC metropolitan area, call 888-560-6674 or complete this quick form , and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

The Three Types of Pain

For you to understand what you’re feeling, there are a few things about pain that may surprise you. There are three types of pain: somatic, neuropathic, and interpretive:
1. Somatic or Outside-In, Pain

Somatic pain is always associated with inflammation and occurs as a result of tissue injury or disease in a muscle, joint, or tooth, for example. The pain comes from injured somatic tissue, which contains cells that are capable of renewal and repair.

Pain signals from inflammation are carried by healthy nerve fibers to your brain, which then interprets them. This is called outside-in pain.

Most toothaches that respond to dental treatments are due to the inflammation arising from somatic tissues, like your dental pulp. But there is more complexity. Even though you may feel like you have a toothache, the source of your pain could be an inflamed muscle, joint, gland, or other somatic tissues near or far from your tooth. Over time, tissue injury or disease in these body parts can refer pain to your teeth. So, a broad evaluation beyond the teeth themselves is often necessary in order to make the correct diagnosis.

2. Neuropathic, or “Inside-Out” Pain

This type of pain occurs not as the result of tissue injury but as a result of abnormalities in your nerve tissues. In these situations, the source is an injury, disease, or dysfunction in your peripheral and central nervous system. In essence, there is a circuitry malfunction within your nervous system. Your nerves are sensitized and have a lower firing threshold, similar to what you experience with a sunburn.

Neuropathic pain is inside-out pain because it comes from inside your nervous system itself, not from tissue injury. You may have a persistent toothache, for example, but your dentist finds nothing wrong because your tooth structures look normal and appear normal on your x-rays and CT scans.

3. Interpretive Pain

Interpretive pain results strictly due to how your brain interprets incoming signals. In fact, all pain experiences are the result of your brain rendering an opinion. You can’t feel pain until your brain says so, so everything that has happened in your life near and far from your current pain experience has the potential to influence your brain’s opinion.

Often it takes a while for your brain to interpret pain signals, which is why soldiers can experience a battlefield injury but not feel the pain for hours, or even days.

With interpreted pain, your tissues appear normal, and the nerves conducting the pain information to the brain appear normal. That is why your dentist has likely told you everything looks OK – yet you still suffer from pain.

At New York TMJ and Orofacial Pain, the three types of pain problems are common and familiar to us. Every day we see patients suffering from facial pain, persistent toothaches, TMJ problems, nerve problems, and unexplained headaches. If facial pain is taking over your life, call us to make an appointment at one of our offices in the NYC metropolitan area (Manhattan, Westchester County, or Long Island). Call 888-560-6674 or form .

More reading:

Facial Pain – Is It Bruxism or Is It Bulimia?
Order Dr. Tanenbaum’s Book: Doctor, Why Does My Face Still Ache? – Getting Relief from Persistent Jaw, Ear, Tooth, and Headache Pain