Chronic headaches that never seem to lighten up or disappear are certainly an added distraction making your work, family life, and enjoying some leisurely alone time so much harder to achieve.
The problem is that a lot of people suffer from this type of ongoing headache pain — yours may be the one that seemingly happens without an obvious cause, and which no amount of pain medication seems to make a dent, much less cure.
And if you happen to be one of those unlucky few, you’re likely just as desperate to find a solution as anyone else would be in your shoes. And here it is, wait for it….tell your dentist!
Wait, what? A dentist? Helping solve headache issues, much less constant ones? Absolutely yes!
Choose an expert in TMD.
Oh sure, you might think telling a dentist about your headaches is a little odd. However, the key here is to remember that when there are problems with the temporomandibular joint (you know it as the hinge of your jaw) — headaches can, unfortunately, be a MAJOR side effect. And the best person to see for treatment is actually a dentist who is qualified and trained in temporomandibular disorder (TMD), such as our own exceptional dentist, Dr. James D. Powell.
You see, select dentists have done the extra training needed in understanding, diagnosing, and treating TMD — and then doing it effectively, meaning you’re in good hands with Dr. Powell when it comes to jaw pain and those relentless headaches.
How does TMD happen?
Of course, you’ve likely already heard of the term, TMJ, which is basically just the abbreviation of the temporomandibular jaw joint, but TMD is what we call the actual disorder.
While it can certainly arise from trauma to the jaw (think of getting hit in the face during a boxing match) which might seem like a pretty obvious cause but it can also crop up from less obvious conditions like wearing braces or orthodontics to straighten your teeth!
And here’s the important caveat, if an orthodontist doesn’t take physiological science into account when straightening your pearly whites, your bite is likely going to end up misaligned and your surrounding facial muscles aren’t going to be happy about that. At all!
When the bite is right, life is right.
Dr. James D. Powell who, by the way, is an expert on TMD, says that the bite (the way that a person’s teeth come together) is a common denominator for many other problems.
A person can actually suffer from chronic headaches, excessive wear and tear on their teeth and even poor posture when their teeth are not correctly aligned and their facial muscles aren’t in the optimal position.
But how do you know if your headaches or other issues are a result of TMD? Let’s take a look at just a few of the symptoms you might experience. All of these are indicators that you might indeed be dealing with TMD, even if you aren’t suffering from all of them.
TMD Symptoms:
- Pain in your face, jaw joints, neck, and shoulders
- Ear pain
- Difficulty opening or closing your mouth
- Locked jaws that either stay open or shut
- Clicking noises when moving your jaw
- Problems chewing
- Swelling
- Painful toothaches
- Ringing in your ears
- Dizziness
If any of these issues are constantly giving you grief, then it’s highly likely that you have TMD and could benefit from some expert TMD/TMJ treatment. The good news is that with proper treatment, you can eliminate, or at the very least, relieve many of the problems caused by painful TMD.
Call Today!
You don’t have to live with chronic pain, and you definitely shouldn’t have to deal with these problems on your own. There is effective help out there! If you want to learn more, give us a call today at 661.349.7725 to schedule a dental appointment with our exceptional dentist and team. You deserve to have a pain-free quality of life!
