Do you or someone you love suffer from jaw pain, headaches, facial pain, or pain in the jaw joints (TMJ)? At Ponte Vedra Complete Dentistry, education about dentistry and oral health topics is important to us. Our blog serves as a wonderful venue for this education. Today we would like to discuss pain. While this is not meant to be all encompassing, it could be useful as a starting point to help those that suffer. If you have further questions or would like to discuss your particular situation, feel free to contact us any time!
Headaches
Everyone has had a headache. Others suffer from chronic headaches. This is a challenging area of medicine because there are so many different ways that headaches can be created. If you suffer from chronic headaches, your primary care provider or a neurologist can be useful resources. There are, however, many different ways in which dentistry can help solve headache problems.
The head and neck is a wonderful yet complex network of muscles, bones, nerves, ligaments, and tendons. All of these components must work in harmony together to maintain health. Disharmony in these systems can often lead to headaches. Some examples are cervical neck muscles or vertebrae that are lacking proper function, grinding and clenching habits that lead to masticatory (chewing) system overload, a bite that is “off” which creates disharmony, and jaw joint problems. Your dentist can often help determine the cause of the problem and help provide some relief.
TMJ and TMD
TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint. This is the jaw joint. Some studies have shown that nearly 75% of Americans have some sort of joint dysfunction. Many have pain in or around the jaw joint. TMD stands for temporomandibular disorder. There is a large variety of problems that fall under the category of TMD. Signs and symptoms of TMD include but are not limited to clicking and popping of the joint, pain in the joint, deviation of the jaw upon opening, stiffness in the joint, and a host of other signs and symptoms that are not directly felt in the joint itself. If you experience joint pain, we encourage you to seek the advice of your dentist.
Jaw Pain
Similar to the other problems listed above, jaw pain can be multifactorial. Jaw pain can originate from the nerves, bones, teeth, ligaments, or can be referred from a problem nearby. It is important with any pain symptoms that the actual source of the pain is found. Because of this, if you suffer from jaw pain it is best to have it evaluated sooner rather than later so that proper treatment can ensue.
Facial Pain
Facial pain is common. Many people have long standing pain associated with the sinuses, mouth, temples, eyes, etc. Our facial nervous system is extremely complex and there can be many reasons for facial pain to be created. The good news is that in the majority of situations the source of the pain can be identified and treatment can be provided.
If you suffer from facial pain it is best to seek the help of a medical professional. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us any time by clicking here or call us at (904)285-7711.