In case you are among the many who suffer from frequent headaches, you know that the first response is often to head to the medicine cabinet for pain relief. However if this is a chronic problem, it worth visiting your dentist, as the root of your pain may lie inside your mouth. The cause of your headaches might lie in dental occlusion, which is a "Temporo-Mandibular Joint (TMJ) disorder, a neuromuscular jaw condition caused by an imbalanced bite."
Chief Executive of the BDHF, Dr. Nigel Carter, says this information can serve as a timely reminder to arrange preventive visits to the dentist, "If you suffer from continual headaches or migraines, especially first thing in the morning, pain behind your eyes, sinus pains, and pains in the neck or shoulders, you should consider visiting your dentist, as well as a doctor, as soon as possible.
"Many people have imperfect dental occlusion yet never show symptoms as they simply are able to adjust to their problem. For those who do suffer however, teeth and gums may be affected first. Instead of headaches you may encounter broken teeth, fillings, loose teeth, and toothaches, with no apparent cause. If you have any of these problems, visit a dentist immediately."
Source: British Dental Health Foundation
I've struggled with headaches for years and I've never thought about contacting my dentist because of it. I will schedule an appointment ASAP and hopefully they can figure something out for me.
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