What are the different types of facial pain, and why do I get it?

By far the most common form of facial pain is toothache and this is a form of pain that most of us will likely experience in some form during our lifetime. A general dentist will usually be able to provide near immediate relief for the patient by treating or removing the tooth.

Toothache would generally be regarded as what is referred to as acute or short lasting pain. In most cases it is easy to diagnose and in many cases the patient will be aware of the tooth that is the source of the problem.

At times the pain of toothache is not localised to a particular tooth and this may make it difficult for the dentist and the patient to be sure which tooth is responsible for the pain. Where this is the case your dentist may suggest the use of pain –killer medication to relieve the pain until the source has become obvious. This usually happens within days and at this point the tooth can be treated with reasonable certainty and the problem dealt with.