The nervous system carries information to and from every part of the body. The nerves that are associated with the head are called cranial nerves. There are 12 paired cranial nerves and malfunction of two of them commonly causes problems in and around the face.

Bell’s palsy is a condition affecting the facial nerve, which causes paralysis on one side of the face. Because the muscles on one side are weak, half the face droops and sags. It is particularly noticeable when the patient tries to smile. In severe cases, the patient is unable to close their eye and the eyelid must be taped shut. Because it affects the face, Bell’s palsy can be quite distressing.

The other cranial nerve problem we commonly treat is called Trigeminal Neuralgia. In contrast to Bell’s palsy, which looks terrible, but is less painful, in Trigeminal Neuralgia the patient looks normal but suffers from “lightening-like” jolts of pure nerve pain. The pain of Trigeminal Neuralgia can be so intractable that some patients undergo brain surgery to relieve it.

Throughout the years we have had great success treating patients suffering from both the facial paralysis of Bell’s palsy and the lightning-like pain of Trigeminal Neuralgia. Our main tool is low-level laser therapy. Laser therapy is one of the few treatments available that can speed up recovery of damaged nerves. We’ve had cases of Trigeminal Neuralgia that failed to respond to the brain surgery procedure that responded dramatically to laser treatment.