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Are your teeth giving you a headache?

Do you suffer from headaches? Have you been diagnosed with migraines? Many people live their daily lives with severe headaches or facial pain without any relief. Other symptoms common to headache sufferers are ear pain and congestion, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), dizziness, and even neck tension or pain. Unfortunately, many people have been treated by numerous physicians throughout their lives without any improvement in their symptoms. The last person most people would turn to for a cure would be their dentist; however your bite could be the cause of your chronic headaches!

Many headaches can be part of undiagnosed Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder or an abnormal bite. 90% of all headaches are considered “muscle tension headaches,” and can be directly related to a person’s unbalanced bite. Many people diagnosed with migraines can actually be suffering from these muscle tension headaches.

This syndrome is the source of chronic pain for many, and can result in severe wear, or fracturing, of your teeth and restorations, leading to tooth loss. This viscous cycle results in an even more unbalanced bite causing a person’s headaches and pain to worsen over time. Most people would never think that their dentist could help with headaches, but we are improving the lives of our patients every day.

CLICK HERE to read the Oakland Press Article

Depending on a dentist’s training and experience in this area, they should be able to determine if a patient has a poor bite through a thorough exam and precise measurements. People are often frustrated because previous forms of treatment have been unsuccessful. Fortunately, we are able to tell if a person is a candidate for this type of therapy before any action begins. This makes people very comfortable with pursuing this treatment when they are confident they will benefit from it.

Dental Tip of the Month
Are you experiencing any of these symptoms on a regular basis? Looking for answers?
Dr. Doolin and Dr. Haddad will be giving a presentation that includes discussing the latest techniques in headache and TMJ treatment at the Women’s Lifestyle’s Extravaganza October 22nd and 23rd at 1:00pm at Macomb CC Sports and Expo Center.
Their presentation:
“”Exploring the Hottest Topics in Dentistry: Cosmetics, TMJ/Headache treatment, and Sleep Apnea,” will be given both days of the event. The doctors will be available throughout the day answering questions and providing additional information for attendees.

Clenching and Grinding Your Teeth at Night: Fact or Fiction

Have you ever been told you grind your teeth at night? Ever wonder why your dentist is making these claims but you have never noticed any symptoms or never been told by your significant other that you do grind?Did your dentist recommend a night guard that you didn't think that you really needed? Hopefully the following information will answer all of you clenching/ grinding questions.

I have been clenching and grinding my teeth since I was a teenager. I had many symptoms of a grinder including morning headaches, muscle tension, temperature sensitivity on my teeth, receding gums and chipping teeth. I attributed these to other things in life like stress.

The thought of wearing an appliance every night for a problem that I didn't think I had did not seem appealing. Then I cracked my first tooth...

At that point I realized that I was grinding my teeth. I made myself a bite guard ( a perk of being in dental school) After wearing my bite guard for about two weeks I noticed that my headaches were gone, my muscles in my jaw no longer felt tired and the sensitivity on my teeth was greatly reduced.

FACT or FICTION

Fiction: I don't grind my teeth, my spouse would tell me

Fact: Most of the time your grinding is very quite, often undetectable by the person sleeping next to you

Fiction: I can't be grinding my teeth- I snore

Fact: It is common for people to alternate grinding and snoring through out the night.

Fiction: The divots of enamel missing at the gum line are from aggressive tooth brushing

Fact: Unless you are brushing with a Brillo pad you did not wear away your enamel with your tooth brush. Your enamel is the strongest substance in your body, stronger then your bones. Try to imagine brushing away your leg bone with your toothbrush- you couldn't do it. This damage is caused by grinding.

Fiction: An over the counter bite guard will do the same thing that a custom made guard will- and save me money

Fact: Although an over the counter bite guard may protect your teeth from grinding it does not protect your muscles or your TMJ (jaw joint)- since the over the counter bite guard it a "one size fits all" it is typically very bulky and hard to wear. They are soft which causes patients to chew on it since your brain registers it as food- often times wearing these guards cause damage to your jaw muscles and joint, treatment for the damage caused is very expensive when compared to the minimal investment in a custom guard to prevent the problem.

For additional information please contact Rochester Advanced Dentistry 248.656.2020

Are your teeth giving you a headache?

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Headaches can be a major problem effecting a persons life drastically if they persist and are frequent. There are many causes of headaches; allergies, fatigue, stress...

One common cause of headaches that is commonly overlooked is teeth grinding.

When a person grinds their teeth it stresses the jaw muscles, it can also damage the TMJ (jaw joint) this can often result in headaches.

Your dentist is often able to diagnosis your grinding just by looking at your teeth-

The signs that show that you are grinding your teeth include:

• Extreme wear on the teeth
• Large bone growths (your bodies way of protecting your teeth)
• Chipping away bone and enamel at the gum line as well as gum tissue recession
• Chipping enamel

Many treatment and preventative options are available depending on your symptoms

For additional information or to schedule an appointment please contact

Rochester Advanced Dentistry 248.656.2020