We’re here to help you when trigeminal neuralgia, a type of nerve pain that affects your face and head and may cause chronic pain. Ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctors at Ascension Via Christi specialize in trigeminal neuralgia treatments. We address your jaw pain, facial pain and other types of trigeminal nerve pain. We listen to understand you and your health concerns. Then, we work with you to create a care plan that’s right for you.
ENT specialists treat jaw and facial nerve pain
ENT doctors provide treatment options for trigeminal nerve damage, including medication therapy and surgical interventions to help you manage triggers for pain and the intensity of your pain.
Treatments for trigeminal neuralgia
There are two trigeminal nerves on each side of your face that control your jaw and provide sensory information from your face to your brain. When the nerve is compressed and the myelin sheath (nerve lining) breaks down, symptoms may mimic TMJ, jaw pain, headache, and sporadic facial pain. This type of pain may feel like stabbing nerve pain on your face or the surface of your scalp, usually in one specific area, or as a constant ache. Neuralgia pain may also increase if you have other neurologic and inflammatory conditions affecting your brain and spine, such as an arteriovenous malformation or shingles.
We offer surgical treatments to help reduce the intensity and frequency of your pain, such as:
- Relieving vascular pressure on the trigeminal nerve root
- Repairing bony cavities in the jaw
- Removing tumors that press on the nerve
Other available treatments at Ascension Via Christi include:
- Glycerol rhizotomy is a glycerol injection into the nerve where it branches. The medicine helps disrupt the pain signal to the brain.
- Microvascular decompression involves gently moving a blood vessel that may be compressing the trigeminal nerve root.
- Radiofrequency rhizotomy uses heat to treat trigeminal neuralgia and other sources of pain in the spine.
- Stereotactic radiation is computer-guided radiation aimed precisely at the nerve to interrupt pain signal transmission to the brain.
Specialists in nerve and facial disorders
At Ascension Medical Group Via Christi, we’re here to help connect you to our network of ENT and neurology doctors who diagnose and treat facial pain and nerve disorders. If your chronic pain affects your daily activities, talk to us.
