Royal Oak and Birmingham, MI
Chronic headaches can affect your ability to function daily, from basic tasks like remembering to pay the bills, and work deadlines to picking your kids up from practice on time. If you suffer from daily head pain, you may rely on a bottle of over-the-counter pain medication for relief and to get through the day. Unfortunately, chronic headaches are chronic for a reason – there’s an underlying cause. And, until you treat the underlying cause, your pain will reoccur day after day. But some chronic headache sufferers visit their doctor only to be misdiagnosed or feel unheard as if their pain wasn’t real or bad enough. Today on the blog, Hartrick Dentistry shares how our TMJ dentist in Royal Oak can help if you’re living with chronic headaches.
An underlying cause of chronic headaches
Temporomandibular joint or TMJ disorder is a common underlying cause of chronic headaches. TMJ disorder is when the jaw joints are imbalanced due to an uneven bite or a malfunction in the jaw joints like arthritis. Additionally, one of the body’s most prominent nerves, the trigeminal, connects from the spinal column, around the skull, and feeds into the upper and lower jaw. Nerves may send pain signals to other areas of the body, even areas that aren’t actually affected by an injury or issue. Inflammation and reduced blood flow are common in cases of TMJ disorder, which constricts blood vessels in the brain, leading to headaches. Therefore, TMJ disorder has a lot to do with chronic headaches! And taking over-the-counter pain relievers only temporarily relieves pain because the root cause isn’t being addressed.
How a Royal Oak dentist can treat chronic headaches
Treating TMJ disorder starts by establishing an even, comfortable bite by wearing a custom-made oral appliance. Then, once the bite is established, you’ll start noticing inflammation subsides as blood flow increases. In time, and in some cases fairly immediately, TMJ-related headaches disappear and should not return as a result of TMJ disorder. However, patients may still have occasional headaches from stress, dehydration, insufficient sleep, and other related causes.
At-home remedies to support your TMJ treatment
Wearing a custom-made oral appliance is one of the best ways to relieve TMJ disorder, but you may find that altering your diet by eating softer foods, avoiding gum and chewy foods, and applying ice packs on your face for up to 20 minutes at a time may also help reduce inflammation and discomfort. However, these remedies alone do not address the underlying cause of TMJ disorder, which is to establish an even bite with an oral appliance.
TMJ disorder treatment in Royal Oak and Birmingham, Michigan
If you believe that you may have TMJ disorder, schedule a consultation with Hartrick Dentistry today. Dr. Hartrick will perform a thorough examination to determine your bite alignment and the severity of your disorder. Then, she will discuss the first course of treatment and other ways you can help reduce jaw joint inflammation and stress. Make your appointment today by calling our office at (248) 549-0950.