What diagnosis is associated with excruciating shooting pain in the face, often described as an electric shock in the jaw or teeth?

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The condition associated with excruciating shooting pain in the face, often described as an electric shock in the jaw or teeth, is commonly known as trigeminal neuralgia, which falls under the broader description of tic douloureux. This condition results from irritation of the trigeminal nerve, leading to episodes of severe, sharp pain in areas of the face, particularly affecting the jaw, teeth, and sometimes the forehead.

Patients often report that these painful episodes can be triggered by routine activities such as talking, chewing, or even light touch, which adds to the debilitating nature of the condition. The characteristic pain is usually unilateral and can be intermittent, making daily functioning quite challenging.

While migraines and cluster headaches also involve facial pain, the nature of that pain is typically different. Migraines can cause a throbbing headache with possible facial tenderness, and cluster headaches are often described as intense, unilateral head pain with autonomic symptoms, but they do not typically present as electric shock-like pain specifically in the jaw or teeth. Therefore, in the context of the provided symptoms, trigeminal neuralgia, also referred to as tic douloureux, is the most fitting diagnosis.

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