Orofacial pain does not always originate where it is felt. This is known as referred pain, and it is one of the most important and underappreciated features of facial pain diagnosis. A trigger point within a jaw muscle, for example, can produce pain perceived near a tooth or ear that has no dental or ear pathology. This is why patients sometimes undergo repeated dental treatment for a tooth that turns out not to be the source of the pain. Accurate diagnosis requires understanding not just where the pain is, but the full pattern of the symptoms, when it is worse, what aggravates it, and whether jaw movement influences it, before reaching a conclusion about its origin.
Written by Dr. Deepa Jayashankar, MDS (Prosthodontics and Implantology), Fellowship in Temporomandibular Disorders, Orofacial Pain and Sleep Medicine (USA), Founder and Chief Dentist, Tooth Firm Dental Care and Implant Center, 1669/A, 14th Main Road, 7th Sector, HSR Layout, Bengaluru 560102. Phone: +91 8088058704.
