Burke, Fairfax and Fairfax Station VA
It’s sometimes hard to pinpoint the exact cause of a recurring headache. It could be stress or bad posture. It could be a medical or sinus/allergy issue. But more times than most people realize, dental issues are the culprit behind chronic headaches.
If you’re having recurring headaches, it may be time to put the bottle of over-the-counter pain relievers down and pick up the phone to call our Burke family dentist, Dr. Pam Marzban. Today, Dr. Marzban is looking at several dental issues that could be at the root of your chronic headaches.
Problem: Toothache from decay, damage or infection
A toothache is often the cause of headaches because of the trigeminal nerve. Tooth decay, damage and infections can cause pain down to the tooth’s pulp, reaching the trigeminal nerve, which branches out to various cranial places, including the forehead, cheek and lower jaw. Pain travels along the nerve, meaning pain in the tooth can travel to the forehead, causing a headache.
Solution: Dr. Marzban, during a simple examination, can determine if you have tooth decay, damage or an infection, and if so, our family dental team in Fairfax can immediately address it.
Problem: Bruxism
Bruxism is the unconscious grinding or clenching of teeth, usually during sleep. Not only does this wear teeth down but it overworks the jaw muscle, often causing pain in the jaw, face and head.
Solution: Most all cases of bruxism can be addressed with the use of aligner therapy. Using x-rays and digital scanning, Dr. Marzban can create a precise digital image of your teeth and mouth, and we can fabricate a customized clear aligner — similar to a mouthguard — that will keep you from grinding your teeth at night.
Problem: Sleep apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea is a common, dangerous sleep-breathing disorder that is triggered when throat muscles relax while a person is sleeping. The airway becomes blocked because of throat tissue, or it can collapse, making the brain think the body is choking. The brain alerts the snorer to wake up to breathe. While the person snoring won’t remember waking up to breathe during the night, these incidences can occur up to 100 times a night in severe cases. Sleep apnea can cause tension-type headaches and migraine attacks.
Solution: Sleep apnea can be officially diagnosed only by a sleep specialist, but Dr. Marzban, through a quick, non-invasive dental exam, can determine if you need to be referred to a sleep specialist. If a sleep study shows you are suffering from sleep apnea, Dr. Marzban successfully treats most cases in the same way she treats bruxism, through the use of clear aligner therapy.
Problem: Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder
TMJ, sometimes also referred to as TMD, is a disorder that affects the jaw joints, muscles and ligaments that connect the jaw to the skull and act as hinges when opening and closing the mouth. TMJ can cause pain in the jaw joints and muscles, ringing or pain deep in the ears, toothaches and headaches.
A person can develop TMJ over time if s/he has missing teeth or a misaligned bite, such as an underbite or overbite, when the teeth don’t fit together properly when the mouth is closed.
Solution: While the most severe cases of TMJ disorder may require surgery for relief, most cases can be addressed far less invasively with oral appliance therapy, the same way our Fairfax Station family dentist, Dr. Marzban, can often treat bruxism and sleep apnea. Oral appliances stabilize the bite, relieving inflammation and pain in the jaw joints.
In the case of a misaligned bite, Dr. Marzban may recommend orthodontic dentistry, straightening your teeth and bite through braces or Invisalign, which straightens teeth using clear, customized aligner trays, usually in less time than it takes braces.
Headache relief in Burke, Fairfax, and Fairfax Station, Virginia
If your headache is being caused by dental issues, Dr. Marzban can easily identify the cause and work with you on an appropriate treatment plan that provides quick relief from your symptoms. If you think your headaches could be caused by dental issues, give our Northern Virginia office a call at (703) 323-8200 or reach us online to schedule a consultation today.
