migraine headache

When most people come down with a headache, they attribute it to tension or stress, pop some over the counter medicine and rest until it subsides. However, if you’re getting migraine headaches on a regular basis, it may pay to put in the work to find out what’s truly behind the discomfort you often experience. That’s largely because a recent study has discovered that many headaches thought to be caused by tension are actually caused by issues with the temporomandibular joint, or TMJ. In fact, this study, which was conducted by the University at Buffalo’s School of Dental Medicine, has found that as many as 82 percent of all male cases and 17 percent of female cases of headaches thought to be due to tension actually involved TMJ disorder.

How Do I Know if My Migraine is from TMJ Disorder?

The best way to understand whether or not your migraine headaches are due to TMJ disorder is to be on the lookout for other tell-tale symptoms associated with temporomandibular joint issues. These include:

  • Jaw stiffness.
  • Odd noises, like crackling, popping or grinding sounds, when the jaw moves.
  • Facial pain and/or tenderness.
  • Tinnitus (i.e. earaches).
  • Trouble chewing.
  • Toothaches.
  • Occasional “locking” of the jaw.
  • Pain when yawning or speaking.

If you’re experiencing any of the above in addition to regular migraine headaches, taking the right steps to relieve or manage your TMJ disorder will likely resolve your headache issues as well.

Managing TMJ Pain

If the TMJ – and not stress or tension – is deemed to be the culprit behind your migraine headaches, then the logical solution is to try to manage TMJ symptoms. Depending on the severity of the situation, this can either be a fairly easy fix or take some time. Here’s a look at how to manage TMJ pain:

  • Give the jaw a break: Don’t overuse the jaw. Eat soft foods, suck on mints instead of chewing gum and take other measures to minimize the stress that gets put on the jaw.
  • Take measures to relieve stress and anxiety: It’s natural for many people to tense the jaw when they feel stressed or pressured, and regularly doing this can lead to TMJ disorder. Work on stress-relief activities, exercise more and take more breaks to help manage this.
  • Massages: A certified massage therapist can help teach you some simple massages that can help relieve pain in the jaw area. After learning the ropes, these techniques are fairly easy to carry out on your own.
  • Over the counter medicine: If you feel the jaw stiffening, taking OTC painkillers can help curb pain and discomfort before a migraine headache has a chance to occur.
  • Dental work/orthodontics: It’s hypothesized that undergoing orthodontic measures to correct overbites or underbites can help relieve TMJ disorder.

For more information on the link between TMJ disorder and migraine headaches, contact Kanehl Dental today.