Causes of Head Pain

Headaches, migraines, clenching, grinding, broken teeth and other symptoms are often the result of unbalanced forces within the mouth, head, neck and jaw. Dr. Wang utilizes state-of-the-art examination and treatment technologies to examine and diagnose dental force related causes of head & neck pain.

In less than 20 minutes, Dr. Wang can quickly and painlessly do an examination, provide a diagnosis and explain the potential reasons for your pain.

Results will vary by patient, but for many, a painless examination by Dr. Wang can quickly determine if your symptoms can be resolved by a drug-free, needle-free system.

Symptoms of force related issues within the head, neck and jaw

Many dental related problems can show up within your head, neck and jaw, not only associated with your teeth. If you have issues with your teeth or jaw, you may be experiencing one or more of the following symptoms:

• Headaches (chronic or irregular)
• Migraines
• Clicking/popping of the jaw joints
• Clenching and grinding (bruxism)
• Vertigo
• Muscle tension and pain in the face and neck
• Sensitive teeth due to overloaded forces
• Broken teeth or dental work
• Uneven tooth wear and cracking
• Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD)
• Limited range of head/neck motion
• Reduced mouth opening range
• Accelerated bone loss in periodontal disease
• Ear pain not from infection

All of the above symptoms, as well as others, can be the result of force related issues within the head, neck and jaw. The jaw joint (temporomandibular joint or TMJ) is the most complex joint in your body. It is located very close to 50% of all of your body’s nerves and right next to your brain.

When operating correctly, the jaw and its muscles should painlessly exert massive forces within your mouth. Your jaw and teeth are living, growing tissues. Teeth grow, wear and move throughout your lifetime. They can become affected, like any other tissues, if the forces (muscles, tendons, nerves and ligaments) which power your jaw are unbalanced or creating improper forces.

Some of the causes of teeth & jaw induced head and neck pain include:

Age and Wear

As the body ages, so does the bite. Natural teeth wear at different rates from the dental work utilized on many patients. Fillings and crowns for example can be made from amalgam, precious metals, ceramics, etc. The different materials within your mouth can cause improper alignment of the teeth, and they force the muscles and tendons to work harder to compensate for the imbalances. As we age, joints and cartilage also are reduced in thickness changing angles and forces within the overall dentomandibular region. As you grow older, your teeth and bite change, potentially causing many of the symptoms that can be treated by a TrDenta dentist.

Head, Neck or Body Trauma

Trauma to the upper body can often cause chronic pain to the neck and head, both directly and indirectly.  Alignment of the jaw, or issues with the teeth may arise from an injury, which may result in the pain propagating to the neck or causing chronic head pain.

Dental Repair and Orthodontics

Poor adaptation to completed dental work, aged restorative materials, or poor adaptation of the patient to orthodontic changes, can all be causes of head and / or neck pain.

Stress, Diet, Posture and Frequent Computer Use

If you are leading a stress free life, congratulations! You are less likely to have force related symptoms in your head, neck and jaw. For the other 99% of the world, stress and poor posture (such as from sitting in front of a computer for hours) can result in many of the symptoms outlined above. Weight gain and improper eating habits can also contribute to your head, neck and jaw pain.