Trigeminal neuralgia causes severe, piercing pain that lasts from several seconds to several minutes. Painful episodes may recur in days, weeks, or months, and periods of remission may grow shorter as you age. The pain can be excruciating and may be felt in any part of the lower portion of the face-usually in the cheek area near the nose or in the jaw area. Pain may also be felt in the lips, gums, cheek, chin, and sometimes forehead. The pain is usually felt only on one side of the face.

Pain can occur spontaneously or may be set off by touching a particular spot or even by smiling, talking, blowing the nose, brushing the teeth, or chewing. Although the pain may be incapacitating, it's not life threatening. For some people, the pain is totally incapacitating, recurring as often as 100 times a day. When the pain is triggered by eating, people often lose weight because they are afraid to eat. The pain can be severe enough to wake people from sleep. Other people have a much milder form. Episodes of trigeminal neuralgia can be triggered by certain actions or movements, such as:

1. A cool breeze
2. Head movements
3. Chewing
4. Brushing your teeth
5. A light touch
6. Shaving
7. Swallowing
8. Talking
9. Smiling