Explanation of Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN)

You have 12 nerves in your skull. These are called cranial nerves. The trigeminal nerve is the largest of these nerves. Every nerve has fibers inside that carry sensation. On the outside of a nerve is a lining, called the myelin sheath.
Sometimes there’s a problem with these inner fibers or with the myelin sheath. When that happens on the trigeminal nerve, the condition is known as trigeminal neuralgia.
This is often caused by MS. Other causes may include:

• Aneurysms
• Tumors
• Meningal inflammation

Triggers

The pain can be triggered by anything you do to your face: brushing your teeth, applying makeup, etc. Even a breeze on your face can bring on the pain.
See symptoms, below.

Diagnosis 

Your doctor will order an MRI to rule out any other conditions that might be causing the pain. Treatments include medications, injections or surgery.

Symptoms 

Your trigeminal nerve serves certain key parts of your face. Therefore, when you have TN, you feel pain in these areas:

• Cheek
• Jaw
• Teeth
• Gums
• Lips
• Eyes
• Forehead

The pain is typically sharp and stabbing. It can last for only a second or for a few minutes. You will usually only feel pain on 1 side of your face. Patients often have periods with no pain at all and then the pain begins again.

Causes of Trigeminal Neuralgia

There are several different causes of trigeminal neuralgia and because people’s symptoms vary, many cases are difficult to diagnose. Some of the factors that contribute to trigeminal neuralgia are:

• Nerve damage or trauma relating to a dental procedure or facial surgery.
• A vessel that is pressing directly on the root of the nerve and causing inflammation.
• A tumor pressing on the nerve. (rare)
• Advanced MS that can cause the Myelin Sheath that covers the nerve to deteriorate. (rare)
• In many cases there may be no known cause.

Most often trigeminal neuralgia affects women and the symptoms appear at 50+ years of age.
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