Often referred to as “the suicide disease”, Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) is a condition where any facial movement such as talking or smiling, or even light touch to the face, can bring on jolts of agonising pain.
Sir Michael this week attended a parliamentary reception on TN, a relatively rare condition which affects around 60,000 people in the UK, in the hope of raising awareness.
The Sevenoaks MP said: “At first, so many sufferers believe they are experiencing chronic tooth pain or a severe headache and end up going to their dentists and spending money on treatment they don’t need. Accurate and early diagnosing is crucial and we must make sure dentists are properly trained to deal with TN to help sufferers get the right treatment early.”
