It can be debilitating. A severe headache can make it difficult to focus at work, engage in everyday activities and even can force one to stay in bed. Masking the pain with over-the-counter medications or prescriptions can provide temporary relief, but it is not addressing the cause of the problem. Some people have also resorted to massage, chiropractic treatment and physical therapy for relief. But once again those were only helping with the pain and not looking at the source. It can become overwhelming and even cause one to go into depression.
The number of people who endure recurring headaches is staggering. The National Headache Foundation reports more than 45 million Americans endure recurring headaches; from this group, 23 million suffer from migraines. What many may not know is the source of up to 80 percent of these headaches is a result from dental force-related problems.
Unfortunately, many who live with constant headaches for years become resigned to the condition. They give up and settle with the fact that it is something they just have to live with. The good news is that many dentists can help cure the pain of migraine and other headaches, tinnitus, TMJ and vertigo.
While it is a fact that many headaches are triggered by stress or are hormone-induced or alcohol-induced, nighttime headaches can also be triggered by a bite imbalance as well as lack of oxygen at nighttime. Sleep issues and headaches are often tied together for many patients.
A staggering number of people don't know why they're in pain. Many are unaware that dental force- related issues, either related to their mouth or as a result of trauma (like a fall, sports injury or whiplash) can be the root of their pain.
Using a computerized bite analysis, a dentist can evaluate your range of motion and bite imbalances. Specialized tools and techniques, such as ultrasound, micro-current technology, cold-laser therapy and manual muscle massage, reduce pain and inflammation. The treatment promotes healing of the muscles and nerves; then the bite is balanced after inflammation is reduced.
Drug free, needle free and painless, the treatment is aimed at the underlying causes of chronic headaches: the pain and discomfort caused by improper muscle forces in the mouth, head and neck area. Dentists have reported success from people who have suffered a serious car accident and are then plagued with constant headaches. But after a simple and painless process, those patients are headache free.
If you wake up many mornings with a dull, nagging and constant headache, it can likely be caused by the muscles of the head, neck and jaw, and the way that teeth come together. Forces imbalanced by the way the teeth come together send a biofeedback loop to the brain that causes pain through the brain stem.
If you are one who has suffered from headache issues, don’t mask the pain any longer. Get to the root of the problem and consider seeing a dentist to treat them.
Article provided by Dr. Rhonda Savage