Follow prescribed therapy for treating the underlying cause.

Painkillers may provide temporary relief, but if the pain is severe and/or persistent, consult your primary health care provider or dentist.

• Face pain is accompanied by chest, shoulder, neck, or arm pain. This could mean a heart attack. Call your local emergency number (such as 911).
• Pain is throbbing, worse on one side of the face, and aggravated by eating. Call a dentist.
• Pain is persistent, unexplained, or accompanied by other unexplained symptoms. Call your primary health care provider.

In emergency situations (such as a possible heart attack), the patient will be stabilized first. Then, a medical history will be obtained and a physical examination performed. For tooth problems, expect a referral to a dentist or an orthodontist.

Medical history questions documenting face pain in detail may include the following:

• Location
  • What part of the face is in pain?
  • Is it on both sides?
  • If only one side, which one?
  • Is the pain over a sinus (forehead, cheekbones, etc.)?
• Time pattern
  • Did the pain begin suddenly?
  • Is face pain occurring repeatedly (recurrent)?
  • How long have the episodes of face pain lasted (for how many months)?
  • How long does each episode of pain last (how many seconds)?
• Aggravating factors
  • Is the pain worse when speaking, chewing, swallowing?
  • Does the pain develop when touching a specific part of the face (trigger point)?
• Other
  • Did face pain occur prior to developing a brain or nervous system loss (weakness, speech loss, etc.)?
  • What other symptoms are also present?

• ECG (if heart problems are suspected)
• Tonometry (if glaucoma is suspected)
• X-rays of the sinuses
• Dental X-rays (if a tooth problem is suspected)