Many Americans suffer from chronic or debilitating headaches and migraines caused by temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders. These painful occurrences can affect your career, your relationships, and ultimately your quality of life. While there can be many different causes, most people are surprised to find out that grinding and clenching of teeth is a common source of headaches or migraines.

Tooth grinding, or bruxism, can worsen the symptoms of TMJ disorder. The TMJ disorder is caused by a dysfunction of the jaw joint. Since the jaw is a hinge and is susceptible to different issues, people can find themselves suffering from jaw pain, headaches, difficulty chewing, and even jaws locking.

Why Tooth Grinding Can Lead to Headaches

The contraction of muscles that occurs with grinding and clenching the teeth can cause pain in the joint and tissue. We often find that for many patients, the majority of this occurs at night during sleep. When clenching is reduced, we often see a dramatic reduction in pain and headaches.

So how do we reduce teeth grinding caused by TMJ? One of the simplest ways is with a custom oral appliance that keeps the back molars from contacting the other teeth. We find that when many patients start utilizing their appliance at night, there can be relief from headaches and migraines within just a few days.

We always think it’s a good idea for any patient experiencing chronic headaches to make an appointment with their dentist. Many times, patients will attempt to treat TMJ symptoms or headaches through the use of medication rather than getting down to the root cause. A dentist like Dr. Ingber has years of experience evaluating the form and function of the jaw, allowing him to determine if headaches are related to an oral condition, such as having TMJ disorder.

After starting dental appliance therapy for headaches and migraines, many of our patients are able to completely eliminate medication and enjoy reduced stress and increased productivity as a result. If you live in the Waterford area and have been suffering from headaches or migraines, contact your trusted TMJ specialists to schedule an assessment.