Skip to main content

How Dental Issues can Cause Headaches

Woman with a headache

Besides reaching out for a pain killer,‭ ‬you should consider scheduling a visit to your dentist if you suffer from frequent headaches.‭ ‬Headaches are often caused by issues relating to your teeth and jaw.‭ ‬One way to prevent frequent headaches is to visit your dentist regularly.‭ ‬If you suffer from frequent headaches,‭ ‬it is important to ask your dentist to check if it is caused by tooth and jaw problems.‭

What’s the Cause?

Dental headaches or tooth related headaches are caused by wisdom teeth,‭ ‬bite problems,‭ ‬teeth grinding and,‭ ‬jaw clenching.‭ Bite problems are caused when you have misaligned teeth or if some of your teeth are missing.‭ ‬Jaw muscles work hard to bring upper and lower sets of teeth together when you speak and eat.‭ ‬The stress on the muscles of the jaw is greater when teeth are misaligned and jaw muscle stress triggers a headache.‭ When wisdom teeth or impacted teeth erupt,‭ ‬they shift other teeth and cause problems with your bite.‭ ‬Problems with your bite will cause headaches.‭ If you clench your teeth when you are anxious or stressed,‭ ‬your jaw muscles are also stressed.‭ ‬This causes a headache.‭ If you unconsciously grind your teeth at night while you sleep or make your jaw work overtime by chewing gum,‭ ‬your tired jaw triggers a headache.‭

What are the Symptoms?

Dental headaches are symptoms.‭ ‬They warn you that you have a dental problem that needs to be addressed.‭ ‬When you get a tooth-related headache,‭ ‬you not only feel a throbbing in your head but also find your jaw is tired or sore when you wake up.‭ ‬You may also hear a clicking or popping sound from your jaw joints when you try to eat or speak.‭ ‬You may also feel pain when you touch your head or scalp.‭ ‬If your headache is caused by clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth,‭ ‬you will wake up with a sensitive feeling in your teeth or,‭ ‬your teeth will be broken,‭ ‬loose,‭ ‬chipped or,‭ ‬flat.‭ ‬Sometimes you will wake up with a headache and an earache though you don’t have a cold or other earache related symptoms.

How to Prevent it?

You can prevent teeth-related headaches by regular visits to your dentist.‭ ‬Treatments for teeth related headaches include relaxation to prevent mental stress-related teeth grinding and jaw clenching,‭ ‬a soft diet,‭ ‬dental physiotherapy,‭ ‬applying hot compresses,‭ ‬getting dental cavities filled,‭ ‬getting mouth splints or bite guards fitted by the dentist to prevent clenching and grinding,‭ ‬orthodontic treatments to correct your teeth alignment and bite,‭ ‬getting crowns or bridges placed to replace missing teeth and,‭ ‬getting dental implants surgically placed to permanently replace missing teeth.‭ ‬Sometimes dentists will surgically correct the alignment of your jaw to treat teeth-related headaches.‭ ‬If the headache is caused by wisdom teeth,‭ ‬the extraction of the impacted tooth will prevent headaches from recurring.‭ ‬Some dentists prescribe medications to give patients temporary relief from teeth-related headaches.‭ ‬They also prescribe hormone replacement therapy to relieve tooth related headaches for female patients.‭

Not all headaches are caused by problems related to your teeth and jaw.‭ ‬When you wake up with a headache,‭ ‬seeking a dental examination is one way of getting rid of your headaches for good.‭

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Everything You Need to Know About Wisdom Teeth

What are Wisdom Teeth? Wisdom teeth are a third row of molars that most late teens or early adults develop. Often times, the incoming teeth can cause issues for your jaw or cosmetically can be an issue for your teeth. Through many years of evolution, the human jaw has become smaller, and because of a change in our diet, we no longer require these extra molars for survival like we might have tens of thousands of years ago. Many researchers claim that this evolution is the reason that about 35% of people do not even develop wisdom teeth any more.  Why do Wisdom Teeth Cause so much Fuss? Because our human evolution has caused a smaller jaw line, incoming wisdom teeth can result in a whole range of issues. Not only can they cause cosmetic problems like crooked teeth as they force themselves into an already full set of teeth, but this process can be uncomfortable and result in swollen and sore gums. Your wisdom teeth can really cause problems when they are “impacted” meaning there i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Signs You May Need to get a Cavity Filled

A toothache can be a very painful process. No one enjoys going to the dentist, but there are times when the dentist is the only one who can take that incredible pain away. No matter how much the dentist is feared, the relief they give for a throbbing mouth is worth facing that fear. Luckily, a majority of tooth pain can be fixed by filling the tooth so the nerve is no longer exposed. Before that pain hits, there are signs that you can look out for that screams pain is coming. Bleeding Gums Bleeding gums is one sign of a problem. Often brushing or flossing too hard can cause a little blood. But if this is a more frequent problem, than it could mean you have gingivitis, tooth decay or other dental issues. Increased sensitivity If eating sweets or putting something hot or cold in your mouth causes abnormal pain than there might be a problem. Cavities are the number one cause of teeth sensitivity and a good issue to see your dentist about. Often this is the starting point of many larg...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Importance of Taking Your Child to the Dentist

Caring for your teeth and gums is such an important part of your overall health, but did you know that the most common chronic disease for young children is tooth decay? Learning healthy habits for your oral care must start at a very young age, and there are specific things to consider when your are caring for a young child’s teeth and gums. There are very basic skills that can be harder for the average child to develop if they do not have proper oral care. This is why taking your child to the dentist regularly is crucial in their developmental success. Not So Common Knowledge Your dentist will be able to give you advice on how to care for your child’s new teeth. There are some basic habits that you have developed in your household that might unknowingly be causing damage to your child’s teeth and gums. A dentist will be able to explain various common bad habits and help you develop new ones that will help foster good oral care. How Soon Should a Child Go to the Dentist? It is rea...
Post a Comment
Read more