Herpes zoster (HZ), commonly called shingles taken from the Latin word cingulum, meaning belt, is an acute skin infection associated with the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (the virus that causes primary infection chickenpox). The risk of HZ increases with age; approximately half of all cases occur in persons older than 60 years. One of the most common and debilitating sequelae of HZ is postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), defined as pain persisting more than 3 months after the rash has healed. During chicken pox infection, the virus enters the cutaneous nerves and then travels to the dorsal root ganglia where it lies dormant until something triggers it to become active again. Stress, illness, dental manipulation, emotional upset, immuno-suppressant drugs, fatigue and radiation therapy can trigger the latent virus to travel back down the sensory nerve to infect the surface of the skin. The practising dentist must be familiar with the presenting signs and symptoms of patients experiencing the prodromal manifestations of herpes zoster of the trigeminal nerve. A thorough knowledge of the disease will prevent unnecessary and delayed treatment. Here we report a case of herpes zoster which presented with difficulty in opening mouth and intraoral pustules which was diagnosed at the earliest and was given the proper treatment.