FACIAL PAIN AWARENESS MONTH · OCTOBER
Understanding Facial Pain
Facial pain is not one condition. Similar pain can have very different causes. Understanding the pattern can help lead to the right assessment, treatment and support.
EXPLORE FACIAL PAIN CONDITIONS
Facial pain conditions
Open a condition for a short introduction, then follow the link for the full guide.
What is Trigeminal Neuralgia?
Sudden, severe, often electric shock-like facial pain, usually occurring in brief attacks.
Multiple sclerosis & facial pain
How multiple sclerosis can be associated with secondary trigeminal neuralgia and other facial pain.
Trigeminal neuropathic pain
Neuropathic facial pain linked to injury or disease affecting the trigeminal nerve.
TMJ / TMD jaw pain
Jaw-joint or chewing-muscle disorders that can cause jaw and facial pain.
Dental pain & toothache
How dental disease and non-dental facial pain can overlap — and why careful assessment matters.
Sinusitis & facial pain
Facial pain associated with rhinosinusitis, and why pain around the sinuses can have other causes.
Migraine & facial pain
Migraine can sometimes be felt prominently in the face as well as, or instead of, typical head pain.
Burning mouth syndrome
Persistent or recurring burning or altered sensations in the mouth, often without visible changes.
Persistent idiopathic facial pain
Persistent facial or oral pain with defined diagnostic criteria after other causes have been appropriately excluded.
Post-herpetic neuralgia
Nerve pain that can persist in an area previously affected by shingles.
Cluster headache
Severe one-sided attacks, usually around the eye, with characteristic autonomic symptoms.
SUNCT
Very short one-sided neuralgiform attacks accompanied by eye redness and tearing on the painful side.
SUNA
Very short one-sided neuralgiform attacks accompanied by cranial autonomic symptoms.
Glossopharyngeal neuralgia
Brief, severe attacks of pain in areas supplied by the glossopharyngeal nerve, often involving the throat or ear.
Browse the conditions
WHY IT MATTERS
Facial pain is not one diagnosis
The words facial pain tell us where somebody hurts. They do not tell us why.
Pain in the face can come from the teeth and gums, the jaw joint and chewing muscles, nerves, migraine and headache disorders, shingles and other conditions. Some can feel surprisingly similar even though the assessment and treatment may be very different.
The aim is not to find the quickest label. It is to find the right explanation.
The same place can hurt for very different reasons.
That is why the pattern, timing, triggers and accompanying symptoms matter.
The pattern matters
Where the pain is felt is only part of the story. Clinicians may also need to know whether it is on one side or both, how long attacks last, what the pain feels like, what triggers it and whether there are other symptoms such as numbness, jaw stiffness, eye redness or tearing, nausea or light sensitivity.
A short pain diary cannot diagnose the cause, but it can make these details much easier to explain at a dental or medical appointment.
When facial pain needs urgent assessment
Most facial pain is not a medical emergency. However, persistent facial numbness or abnormal neurological signs need prompt medical assessment. NICE recommends urgent referral for neuroimaging in adults with facial pain and either of these features.
If symptoms are sudden, severe, rapidly worsening or accompanied by new neurological problems, seek appropriate urgent medical advice. Read the relevant NICE guidance.
What to do next
If pain appears to come from the teeth or gums, an appropriate dental assessment is an important first step. If no clear dental cause is found and the pain is frequent, persistent or recurring, speak to your GP or another appropriate healthcare professional.
Take a short description of the pain with you: where it is, how long it lasts, what it feels like, what triggers it and anything else that happens at the same time.
Do not stop prescribed medicine or change the dose because of something you have read online without appropriate clinical advice.
7 October: Trigeminal Neuralgia Awareness Day
October is Facial Pain Awareness Month. On 7 October, we put a special spotlight on trigeminal neuralgia.
Our 2026 Show TN 3 Fingers campaign uses three fingers to represent the three main divisions of the trigeminal nerve — V1, V2 and V3 — and starts a simple conversation about a condition too few people recognise.
Support beyond October
Facial pain does not end when awareness month does. TNA UK provides information, support and signposting through our helplines, Regional Support Groups, webinars and practical resources.