Serving areas of Okemos, Lansing, and East Lansing, MI
Serving areas of Okemos, Lansing, and East Lansing, MIDo you seem to get headaches on a daily basis? Do you keep a bottle of aspirin or ibuprofen on hand at all times? Many headache sufferers tend to assume their pain is caused by stress or lack of sleep, and dismiss their problem as untreatable. The fact of the matter is that the frequency of headaches can be reduced, and you don’t have to accept this chronic pain as a fact of life. Dr. Christine Tenaglia, an Okemos dentist that treats headaches, is here to share with you how she can reduce the frequency of your head pain.
Why do headaches occur?
Headaches have always been a bit of a medical phenomenon, but in recent years, studies have linked temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder to causing headaches in some cases. For many headache sufferers, they mask their symptoms with pain medication, yet never really get treatment for the actual cause. If you are looking for an Okemos doctor that treats frequent headaches, Dr. Tenaglia can help.
What does TMJ disorder have to do with headaches?
The lower jaw and jaw joints house a significant nerve – the trigeminal. This nerve connects to the spinal cord at the neck region. When TMJ disorder occurs, it causes inflammation and irritation to this nerve, and even restricts blood flow to the jaw joint area. This, in turn, can cause painful headaches that reoccur, even after you have taken medication. While pain relievers may help with your pain symptoms, it does nothing to help the frequency of your headaches.
This is where Dr. Tenaglia can help.
Most primary care physicians aren’t experienced in treating TMJ-related headaches, but Dr. Tenaglia is a neuromuscular dentist that specializes on how the muscles, joints, and nerves of the mouth, head, and neck, work together to create balance and harmony. If your jaw becomes misaligned, either from arthritis, an injury, or an uneven bite, it can stress the jaw joints, inflaming the nerve and stimulating these frequent headaches. You may not even realize that your bite is off, but Dr. Tenaglia can determine the degree of which your bite is uneven, and devise a treatment plan to help restore your bite to optimum efficiency.
Another possible cause of frequent headaches is bruxism, a condition in which you clench and grind your teeth at night. This is common among adults, although children may also experience bruxism. Ironically, untreated TMJ disorder can actually cause bruxism. At this point, it is vital to get treatment to protect your teeth and to relieve the frequency of your headaches. Dr. Tenaglia can help by prescribing a custom-made oral appliance that not only protects your teeth from nightly clenching and grinding but helps adjust your lower jaw ever so slightly so that it reduces stress and strain on the jaw joints. In turn, this will allow the nerves and muscles of the jaw joints to calm down, reduce inflammation, and help with the frequency of your headaches.
You don’t have to live with pain from chronic headaches any longer. If you would like to learn more about how Dr. Tenaglia can help reduce your frequent headaches, contact our office by calling (517) 347-6733 if you live in the areas of Okemos, Lansing, and East Lansing, Michigan.