Serving areas of Okemos, Lansing, and East Lansing, MI
Suffering from chronic daily headaches can make it difficult to concentrate on your daily tasks. Millions of Americans endure the inconvenience of chronic headaches and often keep over-the-counter pain relievers within reach. A common misbelief is that headaches occur due to stress. But there may be an underlying cause of frequent head pain and a way that your dentist can help provide relief. Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) is a condition that often causes headaches in patients. The Okemos dentist near you, Dr. Christine Tenaglia, provides relief for chronic headaches and shares below how you can tell if you might suffer from TMJ.
How does TMJ disorder cause headaches?
On both sides of your head, you have a temporomandibular joint connecting your jaw to your skull. The small joint is responsible for controlling your jaw’s ability to open and close when speaking, eating, or chewing. Your jaw’s operation is complex as it has multiple moving parts such as tendons, bones, joints, muscles, cartilage, and other soft tissues. When there is a problem with your temporomandibular joint, several consequences may happen, and the conditions may become a widespread concern. Your Okemos TMJ dentist explains that TMJ symptoms can vary significantly from one patient to another, but the most common symptom is pain. Typically manifesting from your jaws, you could feel pain in your mouth, neck, or shoulders.
Patients who suffer from TMJ most commonly claim regular headaches occur. Excess strain on your orofacial system or irritation of the trigeminal nerve could be the leading cause of your headaches. The trigeminal nerve is by the temporomandibular joint. It transmits more sensory information than other neural pathways in the body. Patients who develop TMJ disorder often experience trigeminal nerve aggravation or compression that can send pain impulses to your brain resulting in headaches. Our East Lansing TMJ dentist expresses that the trigeminal nerve could also cause migraines or tension headaches. Unfortunately, TMJ headaches may be misdiagnosed as tension headaches or migraines and treated as such with prescription medications. Although you may see medicine as a remedy, you are merely treating the condition’s symptoms instead of the condition’s cause.
How can your dentist help get rid of headaches?
Using state of the art technology, thousands of hours of continuing education, and over 25 years of experience can help Dr. Tenaglia accurately diagnose and treat your condition, so you no longer suffer from debilitating headaches. Neuromuscular dentistry is a specialized area of dental science that focuses on your jaw alignment and bite pattern. A dentist must go through a demanding education and training process to classify themselves as neuromuscular dentists. Dr. Tenaglia, the neuromuscular dentist in Okemos near you, has attended multiple prestigious higher education institutes and traveled worldwide to obtain the latest information about TMJ conditions and treatments.
During your initial consultation, Dr. Tenaglia may observe your teeth when your mouth is closed to see how your teeth fit together. Your Okemos neuromuscular dentist may also examine jaw movement when you chew or speak to help with your diagnosis and treatment. If you receive a TMJ disorder diagnosis, there is no need to panic or worry because Dr. Tenaglia provides relief through several treatment options. Traditionally, pain relief comes through wearing a mandibular advancement device designed to re-align and re-position your jaw to reduce temporomandibular stress. When you treat the joint dysfunction, other symptoms created by the dysfunction should dissipate, especially debilitating headaches.
TMJ Dentist in Okemos, Lansing, and East Lansing, MI
There is no need to live with consistent headache pain when there are treatments available. If you think you may suffer from TMJ, stop treating headaches and other symptoms with medications, and fix the problem’s source. Let Dr. Christine Tenaglia of Tenaglia Smiles evaluate your symptoms and condition today so that you can finally get relief from your headaches and reclaim the day. Feel free to call Tenaglia Smiles at (517) 347-6733 or request an appointment online today!