Temporomandibular joint causes headaches

The most common symptom of temporomandibular joint disorder, more commonly known by its abbreviation of TMJ or TMD, is headaches that occur on a regular basis.

At times the headaches can grow so severe that those suffering believe they are migraines. Due to this fact many TMJ/TMD headaches are incorrectly diagnosed and treated as chronic migraines.

However, if the headaches are caused from TMJ/TMD there will usually be a host of other symptoms that are noticeable as well many of which often masquerade as sinus and arthritis symptoms. For this reason in order to determine if your headaches are the result of TMJ/TMD oftentimes you will need to discuss the condition with a neuromuscular dentist.

Other potential symptoms of TMJ/TMD can include pain the neck, face, shoulder or back, jaw popping jaw clicking, tension in the jaw, earaches, ringing in the ears, jaw locking, or numbness in the extremities.

Unfortunately, without the proper treatment these symptoms can become chronic over time because TMJ/TMD is oftentimes the result of a misaligned jaw or bite condition that pressures the muscles, nerves, bones and joints in the area between the skull and jaw.

The area that receives the most pressure is the temporomandibular joint from which the condition gets its name as well as the trigeminal nerve which controls swallowing, biting, chewing, and facial sensations.

Using advanced technology, your neuromuscular dentist can determine your proper bite and natural jaw alignment position to help determine whether TMD/TMJ is the source of your headaches.

If so, information gathered during your diagnosis–including teeth and jaw measurements, motion mapping and the correct resting position of your jaw–will be used to provide the basis for your custom treatment plan.

There are a number of TMD/TMJ treatment options, and the right one for you will depend on the specifics of your condition.