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Struggling with Headache and Facial Pain? Know the Reasons

Published on

JUN 09
2025

Introduction

Have you ever experienced a sharp, jabbed facial pain? Do you feel uneasy when smiling or speaking? Do you feel a tickling sensation brushing your teeth? Facial pain is a common symptom of jaw injuries or headaches. Headache and facial pain occur because of many medical concerns, affecting everyone. It encircles discomfort, aching or sharp sensations in any part of the face. Understanding the reasons for face pain and headache is crucial for finding the right and effective treatment plan. Scroll down and continue reading the blog to learn more about the reasons responsible for facial pain and headaches.

Reasons for Headache and Facial Pain

Many factors contribute to facial pain, from common concerns like sinusitis to chronic conditions like trigeminal neuralgia. Familiarising yourself with what results in pain on the right or left side of face and head pain helps you find effective treatment solutions and reduce discomfort. Listed below are the reasons that cause facial pain and headaches:

Headaches

Several headaches cause facial pain, like ice pick headaches, migraines, tension head pain, and cluster headaches. The pain, which is felt somewhere in the head, diverges towards your face. If you experience recurrent pain, consult an orthodontist right away because it could be bite problem that’s causing pressure in the TMJ triggering the headaches.
  • Migraine

Migraines cause chronic pain or pulsing sensation on one side of the head that spreads to the face. They are responsible for chronic facial discomfort followed by nausea, vomiting, and light and sound sensitivity. Allergies caused by environmental factors or seasons give rise to migraines, resulting in facial pain. TMJ disorders are the most common cause of untreated migraines. Medicines wont help.
  • Cluster Headaches

Cluster headaches are painful and usually happen in clusters and cyclical patterns. The pain is usually around one eye or on one side of the face. The eye or the area around the eye may become red, inflamed, or watery.

TMJ Issues

TMD, or temporomandibular joint disorders, are the reasons behind pain in the jaw joint and muscles and restricted movement. This results in headache and facial pain, followed by challenges when chewing or eating, and a clicking or locking jaw.

headache and facial pain

Dental Issues

There are various dental reasons behind the pain in your face and head. Oral issues such as cavities, gum disease, infections, ulcers, and burning mouth syndrome are all responsible for your facial pain.

Nerve Problems

Several nerves are running around your face to let you feel sensations. Neurological issues are the problems that these nerves face, causing headache and facial pain.
  • Trigeminal Neuralgia

Irritation or damage to the trigeminal nerve leads to trigeminal neuralgia, causing acute pain. Daily activities such as chewing, speaking, or brushing teeth are the reasons behind the pain. Sudden, acute, and electric shock-like pain lasts some seconds to several minutes. TN is also another mis-managed diagnosis that may have occurred due to an overlooked TMD.
  • Post-Herpetic Neuralgia

Post-herpetic neuralgia is a painful condition that impacts the nerve and skin. It usually affects people who have suffered from shingles. The facial pain gives electric shock-like sensations.

Deviated Septum

Any irregularity in the nose structure, called the deviated septum, can result in facial pain, creating blockages. This further gives rise to sinusitis. Such a condition leads to discomfort and facial tension.

Mouth Cancer

Mouth cancer can result in pain on the right and left side of the face. soreness, lumps, or constant discomfort in the mouth area follows facial pain. Early diagnosis is vital, so you should always consult an orthodontist to cure constant facial pain.

Injury

Wounds, after-effects, and blows due to falls and accidents are also the reasons behind pain on the right or left side of face and head pain, especially if the wound damages any nerves in that area. In addition to pain, it causes numbness or tingling in the injured area.

Spinal Pain

Numerous conditions impact the spine that cause headaches, which in turn result in facial pain. For instance, a spinal headache occurs when cerebrospinal fluid leaks from the tissues around the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms include pain while moving your neck, intense headache, stiffness, and light sensitivity. The pain further diverges towards the back and leads to secondary headache and facial pain. The degeneration of the cervical spine is also the reason for facial pain and headaches. Any change is spine postion can alter jaw position and hence affect the TMJ.
headache and facial pain

Sinusitis

Sinusitis are minute cavities on the back of your nose, cheeks, and forehead. If they are inflamed, it can cause blockages that lead to mucus accumulation. Sinus infections are one of the main reasons for facial pain because of inflammation and swelling in the sinus cavities. This results in tension and pain in the face, especially around the eyes, cheeks, and forehead. Sinusitis often occurs due to allergies or colds.

Infections

Infections are one of the main reasons for your headache and facial pain. Let’s understand this part with an example. For instance, conjunctivitis can lead to inflammation, tears in your eyes and pain around your eyes. Likewise, any pain because of ear infections can be felt on one side of the face, and gradually, it causes a headache.

Shingles

A viral infection behind a painful rash, shingles can result in chronic facial pain if the rash emerges on the face. The pain causes a burning sensation and is localised to the left side of face and head pain.
headache and facial pain

How to Cure Headache and Facial Pain?

When you face consistent pain in your face and headaches, book your appointment with a NM orthodontist. After a proper diagnosis, your orthodontist will understand the causes of your constant pain and guide you on the most effective treatment plan. Non-invasive treatment methods include physical therapies, over-the-counter medications, and alternative therapies. Over-the-counter medications include antibiotics and antiviral medicines.

Conclusion

Facial pain and headaches range from minor to acute conditions that affect your quality of life. The causes or reasons vary from sinus infections and cluster headaches to migraines and trigeminal neuralgia. Booking your appointment with a NM orthodontist is important for proper diagnosis and treatment plan. Finding a well-trained neuromuscular orthodontist is the only way to get long-term relief from headache and facial pain. The Right Bite Sleep and TMJ Pain Care has the best NM orthodontists who will help you address the reasons for your facial pain instead of only providing symptom management. Early diagnosis and thorough care can decrease facial pain and enhance your quality of life.
To treat the most complex of TMJ problems, contact us at TMJ India and get your appointment with our TMJ experts today! 

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