Health & Fitness Tools

A Trip To Your Dentist Could Maybe The Solution For Headaches

16th October, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

Do you suffer from headaches on a regular basis? Over 40% of people in the United Stateshave been affected by harsh headaches during some point in their lives. It has been estimated that over 550 million work days are lost each year because of headaches.

If you undergo chronic headaches then it’s a wise decision to make an appointment with your dentist. Upon determining why type of headache you are experiencing, your dentist may be able to present you with a resolution to helping them.

Headaches are usually classified into 4 basic types:

Sinus – The pain is located directly behind the brow and/or cheekbones.

Cluster – The pain is located around one of your eyes. Usually not both..

Tension – The pain feels like a metal band tightening on the head

Migraine – The classic type is made of of pain, nausea, and visual changes

The tension headache is often times the most customary of all the headaches. Scientists estimates the number being as high as 90%. Common aspirin or Tylenol will often times control the symptoms and discomfort. However if they occur with some regularity and last for an extended amount of time it is in your best interest to discuss them with your dentist.

The muscles around the temple area of your forehead play a crucial responsibility in controlling and closing the jaw. If your occlusion or bite isn’t aligned properly you can come across abnormal tension in these muscles. This can be a cause of your tension headaches.

If your bite is not realigned the muscles become locked taut and stiff for longer amounts of time. The contracted muscle will not get a chance to respite and soon suffers from decreasing circulation due to a lack of oxygen. This also causes waste products to accumulate. The result of all of this is a headache.

This is why a visit to your dentist can be the solution to your headaches. Try to find a dentist who is a specialist in the technology that allows them to objectively evaluate the state of your muscles and other factors that may be affecting your bite. Based on this evaluation and a comprehensive exam he/she can rule in or out your bite being a possible cause of your chronic headaches.

If your dentist concludes that your bite is is the source ofyour pain then a common solution is a custom created orthotic. An orthotic is a plastic appliance that is worn over or fixed on your teeth to help align your bite.

Your dentist may then present you with options on how to permanently correct your bite thus effectively assisting your with eliminating your headaches.