Trifacial nerve neuropathy often develops after dental treatment, prosthetics, oral surgery or trauma, as well as after hypothermia, previous infections, and neoplastic processes.
Trifacial nerve consists of 3 branches: the upper (ophthalmic), middle (maxillary) and lower (mandibular). Each of the branches innervates a specific face area.
People with this disease complain of pain in the affected branches of trigeminal nerve innervation: in the scalp, forehead, nose, cheeks, eyes, and lips areas. The pain can be paroxysmal, acute, sudden, permanent, aching, and dull by nature. Intense pain attacks can occur while eating, teeth brushing, talking, or standing in the wind.
Pain can be accompanied by a feeling of numbness in the teeth, gums, lips and chin, sometimes by “creeping” paresthesia and tingling.