Nothing disrupts your day quite like a headache. For people with temporomandibular joint disorder, regularly occurring headaches are just a part of life, but it doesn’t have to be. Lake Forest Smiles wants to explain how this disorder – also known as TMJ disorder or TMD could cause painful headaches. The relationship between this disorder and headaches is a complicated one, and you may benefit from having one of our physiologic dentists explain this topic to you in person or through a virtual consultation. Schedule yours today by calling our office at (847) 234-4800.
THE SIGNS OF HEADACHES CAUSED BY TMJ DISORDER
- Severe headaches that often occur, especially at regular intervals
- Unable to find relief for your headaches
- You have been diagnosed with migraines, but any prescribed or recommended remedy only manages the symptoms of headaches as they happen, while they continue with their normal frequency
If this sounds like anything you are dealing with, then TMJ disorder could be the root cause of your headaches. TMJ disorder will not go away without professional treatment. Eliminate these headaches and find lasting relief by scheduling a consultation with a TMJ dentist in Lake Forest.
HOW DOES TMJ DISORDER CAUSE HEADACHES?
It all relates to the trigeminal nerve. This is one of the most important neural pathways in the body, transmitting more sensory information to the brain than any other neural pathway.
There are a few other facts you should know about the trigeminal nerve:
- Sends commands to the brain that control facial expressions
- Maintains multiple involuntary functions that help keep the brain safe and comfortable
- Involved in any type of tension headache
- Located near the temporomandibular joint
Those last two facts cause problems for many patients with TMJ disorder. When dysfunction develops in the temporomandibular joint, it quickly impacts the jaw joints, as well as the adjacent muscles, nerves, and blood vessels—including the trigeminal nerve. When the trigeminal nerve becomes compressed, impacted, or otherwise aggravated due to TMJ disorder, the nerve sends impulses of pain to the outer covering of the pain, which triggers headaches.
Headaches caused by TMJ disorder often can be misidentified and misdiagnosed as migraines. If you have not found relief from your migraines, you should consider seeing a qualified physiologic dentist in Lake Forest to be screened for TMJ disorder.
HOW LAKE FOREST SMILES CAN HELP
The physiologic dentists at Lake Forest Smiles have the training and expertise necessary to solve the diagnostic mystery of TMJ disorder and correctly identify cases of this ailment. Our dentists Drs. David Schmidt and Tracey Hughes have studied the principles and techniques of physiologic dentistry and bring this knowledge to their patients. If you live with painful headaches, TMJ disorder could be the cause. You owe it to yourself to schedule a consultation today by calling (847) 234-4800. Drs. David Schmidt and Tracey Hughes have been providing elite dental care to the communities of Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and Lincolnshire for more than 30 years. We welcome you to our practice.