Trigeminal neuralgia is a condition that causes extreme and sudden pain in the face. This happens when the trigeminal nerve, which is responsible for feeling in the face, gets irritated or compressed.

Simple actions like talking, drinking, or brushing teeth can cause this severe pain, which usually last for seconds or minutes.

The pain can feel like a sharp, electric shock, or shooting pain and become debilitating, making it tough to carry out daily routines. 

Trigeminal pain usually happens on one side of the face, either left or right side, and follows the distribution of the trigeminal nerve, as in the picture above. 

Some cases of trigeminal pain is caused by compression to the trigeminal nerve or ganglion. This compression may be from a nearby blood vessel or, less common, by a tumor. These conditions can be identified by a MRI scan. However, some cases have a normal MRI and unexplained cause of pain, called idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia. Multiple sclerosis can also cause trigeminal pain.