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Headaches from Dental Stress
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How
can your bite cause a headache? Tension headaches result from muscle
strain, or contraction. When muscles are held tight for long periods
of time they begin to ache. Headaches from dental stress are a type
of muscle tension headache. A tension headache may be on one or
both sides of your head. Or, it may surround your head as if a steel
band were wrapped around it. The pain feels like a dull, non-throbbing
ache. Tension headaches are usually relieved by aspirin. Specific
signs which indicate that the headache may have a dental origin
include:
1) Pain behind the eyes
2) Sore jaw muscles or "tired" muscles upon awakening
3) Teeth grinding
4) Clicking or popping jaw joints
5) Head and/or scalp painful to the touch .
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The
muscles which control your jaw and hold your head upright are very
complex. Many people do not realize that every time they swallow,
their upper and lower teeth must come together in a firm way to
brace the jaw against the skull. We swallow over 2000 times each
day and night! If your bite is unstable, as from poorly aligned
teeth or even a missing tooth, the muscles must work harder to bring
the teeth together. Most people take a vacation from work when they
tire out-but your jaw muscles never get a break! The overworked
muscles become strained. When muscles are under constant strain,
they eventually become painful.
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The
pain may be felt in the cheeks or the jaw joints. Many times,
however, the pain is "referred" to other areas of the
head. Referred pain is when a pain originates in a part of the
body that differs from the area where it is felt. Even a single
tooth can refer pain to the head.
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Other
muscles may also become involved. Your head is delicately balanced
on top of your spinal column by muscles in your jaw, neck, shoulders,
and back. Your head weighs approximately 15 pounds the weight of
an average bowling ball! Imagine your head as a baseball balanced
on top of a pencil by a number of rubber bands. When muscles are
tense, they shorten. Now imagine shortening just one of those rubber
bands. Some rubber bands would stretch, some would shorten, and
the baseball would be thrown off kilter! Similarly, when even a
single jaw, neck, or shoulder muscle becomes shortened, all of the
other muscles are forced to overwork to keep the head balanced on
top of the spinal column. We see then that dental headaches originate
from an unstable bite which cause the muscles of the jaw, head,
and neck to overwork and become painful. Once the muscles become
painful, a vicious cycle begins. The pain makes you feel tense and
uptight. This worsens the muscle spasm, which in turn increases
the pain.
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If
you suspect that your headaches might be caused by your bite,
contact your dentist. Your dentist will examine your teeth, your
muscles, and your jaw joints to determine if dental stress is
the source of your headaches. If so, treatment will involve correcting
your bite so that the muscles can function without extra strain
and tension. In some cases it is helpful to receive other types
of treatment, such as physical therapy, along with dental treatment
to correct the postural relationship of your head, neck, and shoulders.
Counseling or relaxation training might also be helpful to teach
you ways to relax the muscles and to identify sources of emotional
stress. However, if the true source of the headache is an unstable
bite, this must ultimately be corrected to relieve the headaches.
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When Medical Help is Needed
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It
is important to realize that headaches have many different causes
and a wide range of severity. Immediate medical help should be
sought for any head pain that leads to: Weakness of an arm or
leg Loss of vision Disorientation Loss of consciousness.
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