Want to know the most excruciating pain known to man? All right, that may be exaggerating a bit. But with a nickname like “the suicide disease,” this condition is nothing to smile about.
The disorder is called trigeminal neuralgia. It’s a condition that affects the trigeminal nerve, which carries sensation from your face to your brain. Although people often link this frustrating facial pain to a tooth problem, it actually has nothing to do with teeth.
The American Association of Neurological Surgeons estimates that 150,000 people are diagnosed with the malady every year. The good news: With the U.S. population now around 315 million, that means your odds are about 4 in 10,000 that you’ll get it. The bad news: It really has been nicknamed the “suicide disease.”
So how do you tell the difference between tooth pain and a trigeminal nerve disorder? Good question. Symptoms include a sharp, “electric” pain on one side of the face that comes and goes. The pain can be triggered by simple actions such as brushing teeth, shaving or applying makeup. In contrast, dental pain tends to be constant.
Trigeminal neuralgia is most likely to occur in people who are older than 50 and affects women more than men. Doctors usually can manage the condition with medications, injections or surgery.
So if you experience prolonged or recurring facial pain that your dentist can’t solve — or if your face feels like it’s been hit by “lightning” — there may be something else going on.