A headache can bring our day to a halt and make completing the simplest tasks a difficult prospect. Often, persistent migraines could be linked to an oral health issue like TMJ disorder, also known as TMD. Bruxism could also be a factor! Fortunately, your Livonia, MI, dentist can provide headache relief with a custom and comfortable treatment option.
TMJ and Bruxism
Both of these disorders are very different, but often connected to one another. For example, TMJ disorder develops when the joints connecting our jaw and skull undergo excessive amounts of stress. Over time, this stress could lead to difficulty opening and closing the mouth, and warning signs could include headaches, as well as jaw pain, popping or clicking in the jaw, or aches in the neck and shoulders. Bruxism, in which we grind or clench our teeth nearly every night, could place pressure on the teeth, weakening and damaging them, and also causing headaches and jaw pain. Untreated TMD could lead to bruxism, and vice versa.
Your Exam
To see if you need treatment, and assess the cause of your head pain, we will carefully examine your smile with an advanced technology. From there, we can assess whether you have TMJ issues or bruxism, or both, and decide what the best course of treatment may be. We may prescribe an oral appliance, as we will discuss further on. We could also restore bite balance with a custom-made dental crown, or correct misalignment with orthodontics, such as clear aligners or braces. We always take a personalized approach to treating common oral health issues, returning health, function, and beauty to your smile again.
The Benefits of an Oral Appliance
We design the appliance based on detailed impressions and measurements we take of your smile. We then create an oral appliance that fits comfortably, and will look much like a mouthguard. The device is worn as you sleep, and helps reposition the jaw to ease pressure on the joints. If you also have bruxism, then the device helps provide a barrier between the upper and lower sets of teeth, which prevents further damage to the teeth, so you avoid complications like tooth decay and infection. If you have any questions about treating headaches caused by problems like TMD or teeth grinding, then contact our team today. We want to help you enjoy a relief from your discomfort.
Don’t Live With Chronic Migraines!
Our team is ready to help reduce your painful symptoms with a custom oral appliance. We want to help you avoid uncomfortable complications and better oral health. For more information on our preventive treatment options, then call the office of James Stewart, DDS in Livonia, MI, today at (734) 425-4400.