Sciota, Pennsylvania
Headaches can have a number of potential causes: sinuses, illness, stress, bad posture or a lack of sleep, for example. But one possible cause that you shouldn’t overlook is a dental issue. While over-the-counter pain relievers are acceptable to take for occasional headaches, you shouldn’t depend on them daily. If you find yourself reaching for pain medication to alleviate a headache more than twice a week, you probably have an underlying cause for the pain that can be addressed by medical professionals.
What could be causing your headaches?
Let’s look at various dental issues that could be at the root of your chronic headaches or migraines:
- Bruxism, or grinding/clenching teeth — Bruxism is the unconscious grinding and clenching of teeth, usually while sleeping. The grinding overworks the jaw muscle, often causing pain in the jaw, face and head.
- Bad bite — When teeth don’t fit together properly, even small movements like biting down, talking or chewing can overwork and strain the jaw and can wear down teeth, all of which can lead to headaches.
- Sleep apnea — Sleep apnea occurs when throat tissue causes someone to stop breathing for periods of time while sleeping. The common condition can trigger tension-type headaches in some people while causing migraine attacks in others.
- Tooth damage/infection — Tooth damage and infections can cause pain down to the tooth’s pulp, reaching the trigeminal nerve, which then carries pain to other parts of the face and head.
- TMJ Disorder — Temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMJ, is a disorder affecting the jaw joints and surrounding muscles and ligaments. TMJ can cause pain in the joints and muscles, toothaches and headaches.
If you have dental pain, chronic headaches and jaw pain when opening and closing your mouth or chewing, you could very likely be among the many people who suffer from TMJ disorder. And a lot of times — especially if you don’t mention the symptoms to your dentist — the condition can go undiagnosed.
How is TMJ disorder diagnosed?
Our dentist who specializes in TMJ disorder in Sciota can diagnose TMJ disorder with a simple but thorough exam. We also use diagnostic tools that take computerized images of your bite and precise pressure points that could be causing you pain. We also have equipment that can determine your jaw alignment and deficiencies. This data, combined with your experiences and our other findings, will help us determine if you have TMJ disorder and develop an effective treatment plan for you.
TMJ disorder treatment for headaches in Sciota, PA
If you’re tired of debilitating headaches and seem to not be able to find consistent relief, we can confirm if you may be suffering from something that we can help control. Call our Quiet Valley Dental cosmetic dentists who specialize in dental implants at (570) 865-7850, or reach us online to schedule a consultation today.
