In most cases of the illness, inflammation of the seventh cranial nerve is thought cause facial paralysis. In reaction to an infection, the nerve becomes inflamed, causing damage to the fatty covering (myelin) of the nerve as it is compressed by the bony canals it travels through in the skull. This causes disruption of brain signals to facial nerves affecting motor control and typically ends with paralysis on one side of the face or rarely, both sides. Symptoms may appear after a cold, ear infection or eye infection.

Symptoms of Bell’s Palsy

Because of the complexity of the facial nerve and its travels through the skull and head, damage to it can lead to many problems. The main symptom is sudden weakness or paralysis on one side of the face, causing the eyelid and corner of the mouth to droop or pull up.

Other symptoms include twitching, drooling, difficulty closing the affected eye, dry eyes or mouth, excess tearing of the eyes, loss of ability to taste, and numbness in the affected area of the face. Sufferers often wake to these Bell’s palsy symptoms because they come on suddenly and are often noticed in the morning.

Symptoms tend to reach their peak in about 48 hours but in the meantime can lead to significant facial distortion. Other common symptoms consist of ringing in one or both ears, difficulty eating or drinking, headache, pain and discomfort around the jaw and behind the ear, dizziness, impaired speech, and hypersensitivity to sounds.

Though these signs are similar to a stroke or transient ischemic attacks, slight brain disturbance similar to a mini-stroke, there is no link to Bell’s palsy. But care must be taken to rule out stroke, Lyme disease or tumors.