Did you know that in many cases frequent or constant headaches can be effectively treated by your dentist? Headaches can range from being a minor irritation to severely painful, with migraines even more so which can often have an impact on working and the quality of your life. If you have seen a doctor and have not managed to find the cause of the problem and a resolution for it, there a possibility there may be a dental cause to the problem.
There are 3 main causes for headaches of dental origin:
1) Having an uneven bite (maloclussion). This is where the biting surfaces of the teeth do not fit together evenly on biting or chewing. There can be a number of causes for this problem. This causes the muscles of the jaws to continually overwork which can then lead to pain and soreness in the head. Malocclusions can often be corrected either by reshaping the teeth to make the bite more even or by movement of the teeth in order to allow them to fit evenly on biting.
2) Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) disorder. The TMJs allow opening, closing and sideways movements of the mouth. If the jaw is not functioning correctly, it can lead to this disorder. This can often be as a result of trauma to the face or often there may be no obvious cause for the problem. If you experience regular “clicking”, “popping” or “locking” of the jaws, it is wise to have it checked by a dentist.
3) Teeth grinding (bruxism). This is a habit that can develop at any time in life, many times in childhood. It is due to clenching of the teeth or grinding of them whilst asleeep. Most people are unaware of grinding of the teeth as they asleep. It may be noticed by a partner or by a dentist who can identify wear on the teeth as a result of the problem. Many things can contribute to grinding of the teeth, of which stress plays an important part. If you find that you sometimes wake up with a headache or soreness in the jaw joints, this may indicate grinding of the teeth.
At Brightside Dental, we have helped many clients overcome problems with headaches and migraines. If this is something you suffer from and would like advice please contact us on 020 88884401.
