 80%-90% of all Headaches are Muscular in Nature and of Dental Origin!
Most people complaining of pain radiating from the head and neck region don’t usually relate the cause to dentistry. However, in this country alone more than 40 million suffer from some form of headaches, facial, neck and/or jaw pain. Collectively these symptoms are referred to as Craniofacial Pain or better known to the public as Tempromandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMD). Women, seem to be nine to ten times more prone to this condition than men.
A Brief Discussion of the Causes
The underlying factor in most TMD is a disharmony in the masticatory (chewing) system which is comprised of muscles, teeth, jaw bone and TM joints. The imbalance in these four components alone is not enough to elicit head and jaw pain. When stress is present it combines with the imbalances to wreck havoc on an already susceptible, sometimes delicate, precision system.
During normal jaw movements, muscles, teeth and TM joints need to contract, meet and slide in harmony without obstruction to function normally and avoid muscle hyperactivity (spasms) and ultimately pain. Dysfunction occurs when teeth do not completely interdigitate simultaneously while the joint (condyle/disk complex) fully seated in its socket or its rest position. It is this imbalance and abnormal muscle contractions that forces the joint (condyle and disk) to move continually in order for the teeth to meet properly. It creates a disharmony between teeth, muscles and joint, eventually causing a breakdown of all aspects of the system.
The antagonistic nature between teeth, muscles and joint is better described as clenching by day and grinding (bruxism) by night. It’s the prolonged bruxism or parafunctioal habit that causes pain and destruction of the masticatory system, unless a knowledgeable professional intercedes.
Acute (short-term) pain can be CURED. However, if prolonged, it becomes chronic and may only be managed rather than cured. Numerous treatment options are available, ranging from conservative and reversible therapy to less conservative and more definitive treatment options depending on the severity and causes of the tempromandibular joint dysfunction.
As in any disease process a differential diagnosis is necessary to stop the progression and eventually eliminate the disease process. The key here, as elsewhere, is early intervention!
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