“My tooth is giving me a headache.” This happens to some of our patients. Some of them mistaken their headache for their blocked sinuses. To help us understand the issue, our dentists at Nicholas S St George DDS may request x-rays and other diagnostic tests.
There are several causes of headaches. Some of them may be the result of dental and sinus conditions. You might not expect it but there is a connection between your oral health and headaches. In some headache cases, they can only be treated by a dentist.
Headache Pain from Cavities
Even a simple infection or cavities can cause headache pain. But the headache associated with the dental problem is a tension headache. It is the result of muscle strain building up in the mouth and jaw.
You will feel dull pain when the headache starts with the mouth and teeth. Some patients will experience teeth grinding at night and hear clicking sounds when they open and close their mouth.
Bad Bite
Having a bad bite can be a culprit. When the teeth do not meet together then the jaws are shut, they may cause a bad bite. With a bad bite, your muscles will work harder to chew your food. It causes muscle straining, which becomes constant. It eventually leads to pain.
You will feel the pain in the teeth or jaw. Then, it goes to the other sites in your head because of the trigeminal nerve. When pain is felt in one branch, it can activate other branches. In that case, if the problem starts in your mouth, you may feel pain your head, temples or forehead.
The muscle tension may also spread to other parts of the body.
Teeth Grinding
Headache pain can be the result of grinding your teeth at night. It causes jaw muscles to overwork and results in temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD). These are issues related to your jaw joint. They can cause a clicking or popping sound in the jaw. Some patients have been misdiagnosed with migraines when in fact they have TMD.
If you think that your headache is the result of your bad bite, jaw muscles, and TMJ, you should consult your dentist. There are various solutions to these problems.
For instance, if you have a bad bite, your dentist may recommend the use of braces or orthodontic applicate.
Dental work may also be needed. However, your dentist can only decide the proper treatment after seeing your dental x-ray. You may need to visit your dentist’s office several times to properly diagnose the issue.
If you are suffering from teeth grinding and it is causing your headache, then your dentist may recommend the use of nightguards. They are not meant to prevent teeth grinding. However, they can prevent damaging your teeth because of such practice.
Some of our patients who visit our dental office complained of having a headache. When they were given an oral appliance and used it at night, they experience fewer headaches.
To properly diagnose your tooth headache, you should consult your dentist. If he finds nothing wrong with your dental and oral health, he may refer you to another specialist. Contact us to schedule an appointment with our dentist.