If you suffer from headaches, you’ve probably tried taking painkillers, and you may have been to see your doctor, but did you know that dentists can also help with headaches? If you have headaches on a regular basis, they can make your life a misery. We may have the solution you’ve been looking for, and hopefully, we can make your pain a thing of the past.
How can a dentist help with headaches?
There are lots of different causes of headaches. In many cases, headaches are linked to dehydration, and they can also occur after an injury or accident. It is also possible for headaches and migraines to be associated with TMJ disorder. TMJ disorder is a group of symptoms that affects the TMJ or the temporomandibular joint. This is the joint that joins your skull to your lower jaw. When you open and close your mouth or move your jaw from side to side, you can feel the joint moving. Symptoms of TMJ disorder include clicking and popping noises in the jaw, head, shoulder and neck pain, stiffness in the jaw and a limited range of movement in the joint.
If you have signs of TMJ disorder, we may be able to help. One of the most common causes of TMJ disorder is bruxism, or grinding the teeth. Bruxism can damage the teeth, but it can also increase tension in the muscles surrounding the jaw.
Treating bruxism
Bruxism can be difficult to diagnose because most people grind their teeth subconsciously during the night. When you’re asleep, you’re not aware of what’s happening, and you don’t know that your clenching your teeth. When you see your dentist with symptoms related to TMJ disorder, they may be able to spot the sighs of bruxism; if you share your room with a partner, they may also tell you that you’ve been grinding your teeth in your sleep.
Bruxism can be linked to dental issues like broken crowns, but it’s often caused by anxiety or stress. If you have signs of TMJ disorder linked to bruxism, we can help by providing you with a custom-designed bite guard. This is a device, which you wear while you sleep. It helps to prevent the top and bottom arches of teeth coming into contact when you sleep.
If you’re sick of headaches, give us a call today. Hopefully, we’ll have you fighting fit in no time.
Tags: Bite Guard, Bruxism, dentist, Headaches
