What is difference between facial and bell's palsy?

Answer 1

Facial palsy can be upper and lower motor neuron, while Bell's palsy is typically acute lower motor neuron paralysis, uni or bilateral. Usually idiopathic, but also can be associated with intermittent HSV reactivation. It is usually mononeuropathy compared to facial palsy may be associated with multiple cranial nerve involvement depending upon lesion.

Answer 2

Bell's Palsy is caused by an inflammation of the Facial Nerve (cranial nerve VII). The exact cause of the inflammation is not well known nor is there any single cause. Most often this inflammation an indirect result of conditions caused by the herpes virus (same one that causes chicken pox and shingles in adults).

It's symptoms include numbness and loss of movement of one side of the face.

Lockjaw is a term for the final stage of tetanus infection which is bacterial. It's symptom is when the tetanus infection is so bad that muscles begin locking up, mainly the mandibula muscles (lower jaw); hense the term lockjaw.

Answer 3

Bell's Palsy is caused by a herpes virus and causes temporary partial facial paralysis in one side of the face. Trigeminal neuralgia is, quite literally, pain in the trigeminal nerve or areas affected by the trigeminal nerve. There is very rarely pain with Bell's Palsy (other than if the cornea dries out due to the eye not shutting during sleep), but trigeminal neuralgia does cause severe pain and inflammation to the face. Also, Bell's Palsy only affects one side (it is so rare that both sides would be affected that it can be considered practically impossible), but trigeminal neuralgia could affect both sides of the face. Bell's Palsy can lead to Trigeminal Neuralgia in a very small percentage of patients although this is very rare.