When Tooth or Face Pain Isn’t About Your Teeth

Sometimes pain in your teeth, mouth, or face doesn’t actually come from your teeth at all. In some cases, the source may be your muscles, nerves, or even a headache disorder like migraine.

It’s common for people with ongoing dental or facial pain to first see their dentist. But if your check-up and x-rays look normal, and there’s no clear dental cause, the discomfort may be due to orofacial pain—pain that feels dental but comes from somewhere else.

What Is Orofacial Pain?

Orofacial pain can be described as a non-dental pain affecting the head, face, neck, or mouth. While true dental pain is usually treated with dental procedures, nondental causes of pain can mimic toothaches or mouth discomfort but need a different approach.

Some common orofacial pain conditions include:

Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD)

• Affect the jaw joints (TMJs), chewing muscles, and related structures

• Can cause jaw pain, clicking, difficulty opening the mouth, and headaches

• Affect 5–12% of people, more often women

• A subtype called myofascial pain can produce referred pain—pain that’s felt in one place but originates elsewhere (for example, tooth pain caused by muscle tension in the face or neck).

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Trigeminal Neuralgia

• Causes sudden, sharp, electric-like facial pain

• Pain can be triggered by simple actions such as brushing teeth, chewing, talking, or even light touch

• Episodes are brief but extremely intense.

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Burning Mouth Syndrome

• Creates a persistent burning or scalding sensation inside the mouth, often on the tongue

• Can be very uncomfortable and difficult to pinpoint.

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The Migraine Connection

Migraines don’t always feel like “just” a headache. Sometimes, migraine pain can localize in the face, mimicking tooth or jaw pain.

TMD and headache disorders often overlap, and migraine is the most common headache seen in TMD patients. Jaw dysfunction and muscle tension may also worsen migraine symptoms and contribute to chronic headaches.

How to Help Your Therapist

Because pain is so personal and often difficult to describe, the way you talk about it can make a big difference in getting the right diagnosis. Here are some tips:

• Be specific about location – point to where the pain is.

• Describe the pattern – is it constant or does it come and go?

• Share how long it lasts – seconds, minutes, or hours?

• Use descriptive words – dull, sharp, throbbing, burning, tingling, or electric shock.

• Note what triggers it – chewing, opening your mouth wide, brushing your teeth, or touching your face.

  
  

These details can help your physiotherapist determine whether the pain is muscle-related, nerve-related, or connected to a headache disorder like migraine.