Is TMJ Causing My Headaches?
There are numerous things that can cause headaches. It’s hard to tell if TMJ is the culprit. If you suspect TMJ is to blame, it’s a smart idea to get a TMJ diagnosis. If you notice these other problems, it’s important to seek a diagnosis sooner than later.
- Presence of other TMJ Symptoms
- Headaches that started after a jaw injury
- Headaches related to jaw activity
- Traditional headaches treatments are ineffective
It’s rare for those with TMJ to only experience one symptom. If you go through the TMJ symptom list and find that you experience more than one, there’s a good chance you have TMJ. Oftentimes we have symptoms that go unnoticed because they’ve been going on for so long.
There are also a lot of causes of TMJ. To start, a jaw injury might give you TMJ symptoms. Once the jaw injury is healed, your headaches might go away. But sometimes healing doesn’t restore your jaw to a healthy state. It’s important to visit your TMJ dentist for an official TMJ diagnosis so that you are treated properly.
If your headaches aren’t going away with traditional treatments, and you’ve tried a process of elimination of other causes, it’s likely TMJ is the culprit.
TMJ and Tension Headaches
Tension headaches are actually one of the most common type you can experience. They’re also the most common headache type caused by TMJ. Your neck, head, and jaw muscles all work together. When you overwork your jaw, this leads to stress on other muscles which can result in jaw pain, facial pain and into headaches.
TMJ and Migraines
Migraines are a mysterious condition because so many factors can trigger them. We do know that the trigeminal nerve is a trigger point for migraines. The trigeminal nerve is the nerve that controls signals to the jaw muscles. It has some branches that weave under and around the jaw muscles. When the jaw is overactive, the trigeminal nerve might become overstimulated or have too much pressure on it, resulting in a migraine.
One way to prevent migraines from this problem is by cutting away the nerve branches under pressure or by using BOTOX to relax the muscles. TMJ treatment is an alternative solution that relaxes the muscles without injections or surgery.
TMJ and Sinus Headaches
A true sinus headache is caused by clogging of the sinuses or an infection. They are often misdiagnosed when they are actually tension headaches, migraines, or toothaches.
Referred Pain
Another type of headache is a referred pain headache. This is where you have pain in one part of your body that’s interpreted as coming from another part of your body. For example, you might feel pain in your head but it’s actually coming from your jaw, teeth, or elsewhere. This is one of the reasons why jaw pain is a warning sign for a heart attack.
Let Us Relieve Your Pain
If you have ongoing headaches and nothing seems to help, you might have TMJ. Finding relief is possible with TMJ treatment from Smile On Dental Studio. Please call (314) 678-7876 today for an appointment with TMJ dentist Dr. Chris Hill.
Find relief from your chronic headaches or migraines with help from our TMJ dentist at Smile On Dental Studio in Richmond Heights, MO. TMJ treatment can relieve your suffering and help you live a pain-free life.
