Headaches or Migraines?     

If your only relief has been drugs - let us help.      

Headaches are generally classified into several basic types:  Sinus, Cluster, Tension, and Migraine.  You can determine which type you have by discussing it with your physician or dentist.  While headaches are typically treated by you physician, improper occlusion (your bite) may play a significant role in certain types of headaches as well as other head and neck pain.  As an example:  Sinus headache pain is behind browbone and/or cheekbones.  Cluster headache pain is in and around one eye.  Tension headache pain is like a band squeezing the head.  Migraines cause pain, nausea, and visual changes.

One type of headache, tension headache is by far the most common - estimated by some to cause as much as 90% of all headaches, and can often be controlled by over-the-counter pain medication.  However, if they occur with some regularity or have persisted for a long period of time, it is wise to discuss them with your dentist.

Headaches And Your Bite  The muscles of the temple area of the forehead are muscles that play an important part in the posturing and closing of the jaw.  If your bite is not right, it can lead to abnormal tension in these muscles - one of the several possible causes of tension type headaches.

If the bite is not correct, the muscles may remain tense for long periods of time.  The contracted muscle does not get a chance to rest and soon suffers from poor circulation - thus a lack of needed oxygen and accumulation of waste products of metabolism.  The result can be pain.

Determining If The Bite Is The Cause   New Technology allows the dentist to objectively evaluate the state of these muscles and various other factors that may be affecting your bite.  Based on this and other information obtained from physical examination, your dentist can rule in or rule out your bite as possible cause of headache pain with a high degree of confidence.

Treatment Is Available  If the indications are that your bite is a major factor, the dentist may recommend provisional or interim treatment.  This involves fabrication of a custom made orthotic.  An orthotic is a plastic appliance that is worn over or fixed on your teeth to adjust your bite to a correct relationship.

At this point, nothing permanent is done to alter your teeth or your bite.  You would wear this appliance for a period of time to make sure the new bite position is correct before any consideration would be given to permanently altering your bite.

After having worn the provisional appliance for some time, both you and your dentist will know for sure if the new bite position has resolved the headache problem.  If it has, you will have several options open to you for long-term treatment.

Some of these options may include dental treatment to permanently alter your bite to the new position, fabrication of a more permanent type of orthotic, or using a TENS device to relax the muscles at those times that headaches are most bothersome.