Hello sportyspice, I too have the facial pain and swelling on the left side only. I also have it on the left inside of the mouth-cheek, tongue and roof of mouth. I was told by my Neurologists that it is normal to have swelling with TMJ. When I bend down the left side of my face feels heavier and he said that is normal. He also said that you can have the sensation of swelling and not have actual swelling as it is all TMJ related. I told him when I take an Advil the swelling doesn't go away and that is because it is the sensation. I also at times can actually see swelling in the face too. My mouth guard has been the only thing that has help me out. Try using a heating pad on that side and as for the pain either an Advil or Vicodin can help with the pain-it does for me. Don't eat anything hard, crunchy or chewy as that over works the jaw and muscles. Don't open your mouth too wide also. When you yawn support your chin with your hand so it won't over extend. But what you describe sounds like TMJ. My swelling has gone down so much now, it was so obvious when you look at the left side of my face. I hope you can find some relief. I am sure more people here will help you out too.
MASHlover

Here is a great post I found here.
The Kinnie-Funt Visual Index of Head, Neck and Facial Pain and TMJ Dysfuction:

Eye Pain and Eye Problems:
- eye pain above, below, behind
- bloodshot eyes
- blurring of vision
- bulging appearance
- pressure behind the eyes
- light sensitivity
- watering of the eyes
- drooping of the eye lid

Head Pain, Headache Problems, Facial Pain:
- forehead pain
- temporal pain
- "migraine" type headache
- "cluster-type" headache
- sinus headache under the eyes
- posterior headaches, back of head, with or without shooting pains
- hair and/or scalp painful to touch

Mouth, Face, Cheek, and Chin Problems:
- discomfort or pain to any of these areas
- limited opening
- inability to open the jaw smoothly or evenly
- jaw deviates to one side when opening
- inability to "find bite" with teeth

Teeth and Gum Problems:
- clenching or grinding at night
- looseness and or soreness of back teeth
- tooth pain

Jaw and Jaw Joint Problems:
- clicking, popping jaw joints
- grating sounds
- jaw locking opened or closed
- pain in cheek muscles
- uncontrollable jaw or tongue movements

Ear Pain, Ear Problems, and Postural Imbalances:
- hissing, buzzing, ringing, or roaring sounds
- diminished hearing
- ear pain - without infection
- clogged, stuffy, "itchy" ears, feeling of fullness
- balance problems, "vertigo", dizziness, or disequilibrium

Throat Problems:
- swallowing difficulties
- tightness of throat
- sore throat without infection
- voice fluctuations
- laryngitis
- frequent coughing or constant clearing of throat
- feeling of foreign object in throat
- tongue pain
- salivation (intense)
- pain of the hard palate in the mouth

Neck and Shoulder Problems:
- lack of mobility - reduced range of movement
- stiffness
- neck pain
- tired, sore neck muscles
- shoulder aches
- back pain upper and lower
- arm and finger tingling, numbness and or pain


While many of these symptoms have been connected with TMJ Dysfunction, there is no true "classic" picture of a person that suffers from TMJ Dysfunction.

Take care,
MASHlover

first of all we are all here for you. So many people have helped me understand. In my research I have heard your type of diagnosis of the trigeminal nerve can be the worst pain. Have you seen a pain Dr. reguarding this.You cant go in all this pain while finding Dr. and dentists to diagnos TMJ. it is important to manage it the best you can right now cause we all now how this can effect us mentally. Try the neuropathy section. some great advice on pain meds and diagrams to explain. Hang in there. I uses hot and then cold compresses 10 min each to realx the muscles. try massaging your face with your palms and then apply heat. I hope you can control this pain and please see a dr. about some good pain meds in the mean time.
Thanks MASH lover for the post very informative and good to read.

Sorry about your trigeminal pain problem. I do know that many people have facial pain problems that have diagnosis that are often overlapping(trigeminal neuralgia,tmjd,etc.), and many times the culprit is bruxism, which can cause just about every facial pain symptom you can imagine, and is prevalent in much of the population of facial pain patients. www.headachprevention.com, may be worth checking out.
I hope you feel better soon.

It sounds like you need an MRI to determine if your disc is dislocated.The pain from the trigeminal nerve is multi layered. It affects a lot of different parts of your jaw, neck and head. Clenching and grinding your teeth at night might have worsened your pain. Take Jeremy's advice and check out the link he has on headaches. I did and I am much better now.We all "feel your pain"! Good luck to you.

Thank You all for all your suggestions and support. I checked out the headache prevention site..interesting.. I think i need an MRI as well, I really am wondering if I have a sliiped disc as well. Thanks again all. I know we can all relate to eachother and it feels really good :)

i found this website that explains the test to get to determine your issues.

www.entcolumbia.org//fndis.html

if youi get an mri and it shows you have a displaced disk it really doesnt make any difference because half the population has displaced diskks without pain. I have a displaced disk that DIDNT show up on the MRI. the Mri is only going to show a surgeon how he should plan to operate. You dont want that, especially if you happen to have bruxism-could ruin your life. What would help is a sleep study to see if you do, but a even cheaper diagnostic would be a few hundred bucks for an NTI. If it helps or hurts than you have some parafunction that needs to be addressed.

Hi there sorry your in so much pain. I'm sure your DDS took an xray of the TMJ joint its called a Panorex it should show the TMJ joint. This xray with also show any arthritis in the joint if present. Your doing the right thing with the NG, this is your best tx along with a muscle relaxant initially. But with the neurelgia some of our pts had success with low level light laser tx directly on the joint and surrounding musclesand nerve bundles. See if your doc offers this tx. Good luck

Thanks..I will def. see if the doc. says anything about it, if not i can mention it.. thanks

Hi
I just wanted to write a suggestion for your Trigeminal Nerve disorder. I think a neck brace would help tremendously. The Trigeminal nerve (also known as the 5th cranial nerve) stems from the back of your upper neck. I neck brace may help realign the muscles around the 5th nerve and may reduce your facial pain. My mother suffered from Trigeminal nerve disorder and it's actually most common in middle-aged women. Like you, my mom had a disc that was pressing on the cranial nerves- so it's definitely a structural issue. Wearing the neck brace was the only thing that helped my mom. I hope this helps! -Piper