Headaches Can Be Caused By Dental Problems

A rather profound stateMent some would think however many believe that everything in your body is connected in some way. If your back hurts, it could be related to your poor posture or if your head aches, it could be your jaw position or bite.

How can your bite cause a headache? Tension headaches result from muscle strain. When muscles are held tight for long periods of time they begin to ache. Headaches from dental stress are a type of muscle tension headache. A tension headache may be on one or both sides of your head, or, it may surround your head.

Signs that indicate your headache may have a dental origin include:

- Pain behind the eyes

- Sore jaw muscles or "Tired" muscles upon awakening

- Teeth grinding

- Clicking or popping jaw joints

- Head and/or scalp painful to the touch

The muscles that control your jaw and hold your head upright are very complex. Many people do not realise that every time they swallow, their upper and lower teeth must come together in a firm way to brace the jaw against the skull. We swallow over 2000 times each day and night! If your bite is unstable, as from poorly aligned teeth or even a missing tooth, the muscles must work harder to bring the teeth together. Most people take a vacation from work when they Tire out-but your jaw muscles never get a break! The overworked muscles become strained. When muscles are under constant strain, they eventually become painful.

The pain may be felt in the cheeks or the jaw joints. Many times, however, the pain is "referred" to other areas of the head. Referred pain is when a pain originates in a part of the body that differs from the area where it is felt. Even a single tooth can refer pain to the head. From here, other muscles get involved, from your head to your neck, shoulders and back. I am sure many of you are sitting reading this and realising that you should be talking with your dentist about your headaches.

A dentist will examine your dental condition, assessing if there is a problem with your bite and offering a solution as to how to treat it. One more recent developMent in dentistry is using neuromuscular advancements to correct the bite before beginning more complex treatments. Neuromuscular dentistry starts by relaxing you and your muscules to attain an accurate guidance to where your bite sits and the extent of the treatment required to fix it.

The next time you visit your dentist, tell them about your headaches- the answer to your pain could be waiting at your regular dental check up.

TOPGUM Dental Artistry has been treating their patients using Neuromuscular Dentistry for many years. For more information on this highly advanced and effective treatment, talk to a dental professional today.

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