Nerve can cause severe jaw pain

Answer: I'm pretty sure, P.K., that you mean trigeminal neuralgia. The trigeminal nerve relays to the brain all the sensations arising on the face. It also controls the chewing muscles. Trigeminal neuralgia consists of sudden attacks of unbearable facial pain centered on a cheek, the chin, the jaw or part of the lip or gums. The pain is brief, lasting seconds to minutes. A person with this disorder is in constant fear of another attack arising unexpectedly. A breeze blowing on the face, chewing, talking or brushing the teeth can provoke an attack.  This nerve problem most often arises in middle ages or older.

One underlying cause of trigeminal neuralgia has to do with an artery that encircles the nerve. Pulsations of the artery often are the root cause of the painful attacks. The pulsations irritate the trigeminal nerve. A neurologist is the right doctor to see about this problem. Treatment with medicines often can control attacks. Carbamazepine, lamotrigine and baclofen are the names of some of the medicines used for treatment. The doctor gradually increases the dose of medicine until success is achieved.

If medicines are unable to control attacks, then a number of other ways of dealing with the trigeminal nerve are available. One way is to protect the nerve from the encircling artery. A neurosurgeon is the doctor equipped to perform this operation.