What you need to know about the facial nerve that controls your face

Have you ever wondered what it feels like when you laugh, when you cry when you feel sad, or when you eat a delicious meal? Although we don't think about these things much in our daily lives, there is a very important hero behind all this. He is the "facial nerve" or as we call it in medical terms, the Facial Nerve . This nerve is like an "electrical wire" coming from our brain to our face. The signals coming from it control almost all the emotions and activities of our face. So today, let's talk about this amazing nerve.

What is the Facial Nerve?

Simply put, the Facial Nerve is a special nerve inside your head. It carries messages from the brain to the muscles in your face, and it also carries sensations from the face (like taste) back to the brain. It's like a two-way messenger.

There are 12 pairs of these main nerves in our head. We call them cranial nerves . The Facial Nerve is the seventh of those twelve. That's why doctors sometimes call it "cranial nerve 7." There are two Facial Nerves on each side of our head, one on the right side and one on the left.

Even as you read this article, you may be unaware that these two nerves are working. They are responsible for many very important things, such as your facial expressions, speech, taste, and tears.

What is the main function of this nerve?

The Facial Nerve has three main functions. Let's see what they are.

1. Controlling tears and saliva

It is responsible for the tears that come to your eyes when you watch a sad movie and the saliva that comes to your mouth when you see a delicious food. It is the parasympathetic nerve fibers in this nerve that stimulate the lacrimal glands in the corners of the eyes to produce tears. It is also the nerve that stimulates the salivary glands in the mouth to produce saliva.

2. Sensations related to taste and hearing

This is also a very important function. The front two-thirds of your tongue is affected by this nerve. It is this nerve that sends signals to the brain about sweet, sour, and salty tastes. Not only that, but this nerve also helps provide sensation to some parts of our inner ear, the eardrum, and the outer part of the ear.

3. Controlling facial expressions and movements

This is the most famous and largest function of the Facial Nerve. All facial expressions like smiling, frowning, closing the eyes, and making a face when angry are controlled by the motor branches of this nerve. It has 5 main branches. Let's look at this table to understand it clearly.

How is this facial nerve located inside the head?

The path of this one is a bit complicated. It's like a tree branching out from the root.

• This starts in the brainstem, the lowest part of the brain.
• Then it passes through the base of the skull.
• This comes to the face through a small hole in a bone near the ear.
• From there, it branches off near the parotid gland, one of our main salivary glands, and spreads throughout the face.

What happens if the facial nerve is damaged?

If this nerve is damaged, the actions it controls cannot be performed properly. This is called Facial Nerve Palsy . "Palsy" means "paralysis" or "incapability". There can be many reasons for this damage.

• Autoimmune conditions: Diseases in which the body's own immune system attacks the nerves, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome and sarcoidosis.
• Tumors and cancers: Things like salivary gland tumors and brain tumors (meningioma) can compress the nerve.
• Ear infections or tumors: Ear infections, tumors that develop around the ear, such as acoustic neuromas, can also damage this nerve.
• Head and facial injuries: Injuries to the head and facial bones caused by an accident.
• Some surgeries: There is a risk of damage to this nerve during some facial surgeries, including cosmetic surgeries (facelifts).
• Infections: Some bacterial infections, such as Lyme disease.
• Stroke: This nerve function can be lost due to damage to brain cells due to impaired blood flow to the brain.

Main types of facial nerve palsy

• Bell's palsy: This is the most common condition. In this condition, one side of the face suddenly becomes numb. Symptoms include a drooping of the mouth when smiling and difficulty closing the eyes. Most of the time, this is temporary and can be treated. However, since these symptoms are similar to those of a stroke, it is important to see a doctor to make sure that it is not a stroke.
• Ramsay Hunt syndrome: This is a complication of the varicella-zoster virus, which causes chickenpox or shingles. In addition to facial paralysis, it can cause severe earache and painful blistering of the ear, face, or inside the mouth .

Sometimes this nerve becomes overactive and the facial muscles start to twitch frequently. We call this hemifacial spasm .

What are the symptoms of facial nerve damage?

Symptoms can vary depending on where the nerve is damaged and what caused it. These can be temporary or permanent. Let's take a look at the main symptoms.

If you have one or more of these symptoms, it is very important to see a doctor to get them checked out. Because the cause behind this could be something serious. Your doctor will do the necessary tests, find the exact cause, and prescribe the necessary treatment.

How do we keep our facial nerve healthy?

Sometimes we can't prevent damage to this nerve. But there are a few things we can do to keep our entire nervous system, including the Facial Nerve, healthy.

• Eat nutritious foods: Add foods containing vitamin D and vitamin B12 (fish, milk, eggs, green vegetables), which are especially important for nerve health, to your diet.
• Manage chronic diseases: Diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure can damage the nerves. Therefore, follow the advice given by your doctor and manage these diseases well.
• Avoid smoking: Smoking reduces blood flow to the nerves. So if you smoke, get help to quit.
• Maintain a healthy weight: Maintaining a healthy weight that suits the body is beneficial for overall health.
• Reduce stress: Reducing stress in a way that suits you, such as meditation or walking, is also good for the nervous system.
• Protect your head: It is very important to protect your head from accidents. Be sure to wear a helmet when playing sports, riding a bicycle, or riding a motorcycle.

In conclusion, we should be thankful for the Facial Nerve, which helps us do essential things in our daily lives, such as smiling, enjoying food, and closing our eyes. If you experience facial weakness or any of the other symptoms mentioned in this article, it could be due to nerve damage. So, see a doctor right away and talk about it.