Right now, you might be writing off your constant headaches as a symptom of the massive amounts of stress surrounding us right now. While stress is certainly a factor that can cause headaches, there may be another reason that is far more treatable than trying to eliminate stress.
Your jaw is connected to your head by what’s called your temporomandibular joint (or TMJ for short). This joint allows you to chew, talk, swallow, and yawn. This joint is also paired with muscles that could be causing your migraines. There are a number of muscles around the TMJ, located around the jaw, cheeks, and connect to muscles that are located on the sides of and on top of your head.
When you grind or clench your teeth, your jaw muscles tighten as the action is performed. The pain that those muscles create travels to other places in your skull, which ultimately causes headaches, and in some cases, migraines. This pain can also cause other ailments like shoulder pain, earaches, or toothaches.
Sometimes it’s tough to tell the difference between a migraine and a really bad headache. While migraines are associated with throbbing pain, pressure, and other pain-related symptoms, they’re typically paired with increased sensitivity to light, sound, and smells. You may experience a loss of vision, nausea, or other physical symptoms. If you experience debilitating migraines, they may be a symptom of strained TMJ muscles.
Good news is that there is a solution. We will work with you to determine the position in which your jaw is most relaxed and over time, we’ll work to realign the bite, restoring the teeth (and jaw) to their optimal position. Once your bite is realigned and everything is in place, the pain that the imbalance caused will disappear!
If you think your TMJ may be resulting in frequent migraines, we’re here to help. Let us help you take control of your life again. This disorder can be difficult to diagnose so if you’ve had other practices dismiss this disorder or rule it out, there is still a chance that it might be the root of your migraines. We are specialists in this area and have been known to help many of those who experienced years of chronic pain due to a TMJ disorder. Call today to learn more or to schedule an appointment: 425-329-6267.