Scott Greenhalgh DDS - Cosmetic Dentistry

Monday, March 8, 2010

Headaches Caused by Dental Issues

Millions of people suffer from frequent, recurring headaches and are unable to find out the real cause. What many don’t realize is that the origin of the problem may be in their teeth. Not many people think of dental issues as the cause of headaches, but actually bruxism (grinding/clenching teeth) and TMD cause far more recurring headaches than most people know.


Bruxism (Grinding/Clenching)


Bruxism is a stress-related condition characterized by grinding and clenching of the teeth while asleep. Many people who have bruxism are not aware of their symptoms until they ask their spouse or partner about it. In addition to directly damaging teeth, which cosmetic dentist Dr. Greenhalgh can fix, bruxism can also cause nasty headaches.


The strain on the nerves and muscles from grinding and clenching all night is also painful, which is the cause of bruxism-related headaches. If you suffer from bruxism or believe your headaches may be the result of nighttime grinding or clenching, schedule a consultation with general, cosmetic, and neuromuscular dentist Dr. Greenhalgh about mouth guards or other medical procedures for bruxism.


TMD/TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Disorder)


A different dental headache culprit is temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD/TMJ). TMD is usually caused by malocclusion, or a misaligned bite. Malocclusion forces the jaw in an uncomfortable resting position that in turn strains and displaces the TMJ joint. The muscles of the jaw are controlled by the trigeminal nerve, which also carries pain signals from all over the head and neck. Thus, strain on the jaw can quickly become an all-over headache.


Dr. Greenhalgh has extensive experience dealing with TMD and TMD-related headaches. The pain can be reduced through neuromuscular dentistry, which tries to achieve a more natural jaw position by relaxing the strained muscles around the TMJ. Cosmetic dentistry works to realign the bite to that the jaw rests comfortably. The first step is figuring out it if TMD is causing your constant headaches by scheduling a consultation with neuromuscular or cosmetic dentist Dr. Greenhalgh.


For more information about how your headaches can be relieved through neuromuscular or cosmetic dentistry in Denver or Lakewood, please contact Scott Greenhalgh, DDS today.

posted by Megan P at 2:11 PM

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