Cosmetic Dentistry Directory Blog
Cosmetic Dentistry Directory
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Your Dentist and Headaches
Many patients come to regard their persistent headaches as
an unsolvable problem they must suffer through during their day-to-day lives.
They pop a couple pills when a headache comes on, turn down the lights and try
to muddle through the rest of the day. They don’t suspect that their jaw might
be the cause of those headaches, and they certainly don’t know that their
dentist can treat their underlying condition and greatly increase their quality
of life.
If you’re suffering from persistent tension headaches,
there’s a chance you’re dealing with an underlying condition known as
temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMJ/TMD.
This condition affects patients even as they’re completely unaware that they
even have it.
The temporomandibular joint is, for all intents and
purposes, your jaw joint. You can feel it by placing your fingers in front of
your ears and opening and closing your mouth.
If your jaw joint is misaligned and causes a bad bite,
problems that start in the area can cascade and cause tremendous discomfort
throughout your body. Headaches are the most common TMJ symptom, but others
include:
- Facial pain
- Upper back pain
- Pain in the shoulders
This list is far from exhaustive. A skilled, experienced neuromuscular
dentist will be able to tell you if your headaches are caused by TMJ. If
they are, he or she will be able to plan an appropriate TMJ
treatment regimen to help.
Please contact us
today to find a qualified cosmetic dentist in your area.
posted by Andrew at 5:39 PM
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