Did you know that chronic headaches may be caused by a problem with your jaw?
Temporomandibular joint disorder, or TMJ for short, is a condition where the joint that connects your upper and lower jaws doesn’t work properly. Some common symptoms of TMJ include:
- Headaches including migraine-like headaches
- Earaches
- Pressure and pain behind the eyes
- Clicking when you move your jaw to open or close the mouth
- Chewing or yawning pain
- Locked jaw
Your Tension Headache May Be TMJ Pain
Frequent headaches brought on by TMJ are often misdiagnosed by health care providers. If your headache is accompanied by one or more of the above symptoms, TMJ may be the source. And although it’s unlikely that a TMJ-generated headache will be accompanied by nausea and other migraine symptoms, a TMJ may trigger a migraine in those who are susceptible to them.
The good news is that TMJ is highly treatable and preventable. Come visit us if you have chronic headaches that are unrelieved by traditional medications and therapies. We’ll examine your jaw, face, head and neck and take a complete medical history. A simple, painless screening test will help determine the right treatment.
Curing TMJ is a very individual process. Some of our treatment methods include:
- Applying moist heat to the area.
- Gently massaging the joint area with the fingertips.
- Medication such as muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatory drugs and over-the-counter pain medication.
- Relaxation techniques to ease the jaw’s muscle tension.
- Wearing a night guard to lessen tooth grinding and jaw clenching.
You don’t have to live with chronic headaches caused by TMJ. Get help now to reduce your pain without drug solutions and get control of your healing process.
Let Us Help Relieve Headaches Caused by TMJ
Dr. Lorraine Burio of Candlewood Dental Care has been treating and educating patients for over twenty-five years. Our office serves the New Fairfield, New Milford, Danbury, and Sherman areas of CT and Pawling, Patterson and Putnam Lake of New York. You can call us at 203-746-1200 or make an appointment here.