What is causing your headache?

 Headaches are caused due to numerous factors like stress, increased screen time, injury, lack of sleep, dehydration etc. no matter what the reason is,  it causes extreme discomfort and pain. Almost everyone has experienced headaches, but can we always tell what is causing it?

You might find it surprising but the reason for your undiagnosed headache can be your tooth. The muscles in the face and jaw region can also cause pain due  tension build up.

Read on to find about the link between your headache and tooth pain:

The possible explanation of your headache and tooth pain can be cavities, pus formation, cracked teeth, wisdom tooth pain.

●  Infection: 

Photo by Quora

Cavities when left untreated can lead to infection which will eventually affect nerves causing headache.

If you are experiencing simultaneous headaches and tooth pain/sensitivity the most likely reason is that particular tooth. You might also see pus formation in the affected region. An infected tooth can cause moderate to severe pain, which can even move to your ear or neck.

 

●  Sinus problems:

Photo by Youtube

Sinuses are empty spaces, which when infection occurs causes pain and at times pus formation. When an infection occurs in the sinus it may cause headaches too. Other symptoms that can be seen are runny nose, long standing cold and cough , congestion, distorted sense of smell etc. Sometimes fever , weakness can also be seen.

 

●  Bruxism: 

Photo by Randyfongdds

This is grinding of teeth, you might grind your teeth during the night (asleep) or in stressful situations. These immense forces at times lead to headaches and even muscle pain/stiffness in the mouth region.

 

●  Migraine: 

Sometimes patients develop severe pain in one side of the face. To relieve pain use a cold pack on the area you are experiencing pain.

 

●  Referred pain: This term is used when you experience pain in an area different from where the problem actually is. Health professionals can diagnose the cause of “referred” pain. experiencing headaches due to a tooth problem is an example of referred pain.

 

●  Wisdom tooth: wisdom tooth or your third molars can be the cause of your headache when they try to come out of the jaw bone. It causes pain and discomfort.

 

●  Root canal complications: You might experience dizziness or light headache in cases where there are complications after your treatment. However pain killers and other medicines prescribed by the dentist can also cause dizziness.

 

●  Temporo mandibular joint (TMJ) - TMJ is the joint which helps us to open and close our mouth. Nowadays, people have been developing TMJ problems, like clicking sound while opening/closing your mouth, pain in that region, stiffness. It can be long term or for a short duration. Problems in this joint can also manifest as headaches.

 

 What can you do to relieve these tooth related headaches?

Few tips and tricks can give you momentary relief from the pain:

• cold packs
• dim the lights 
• hydrate yourself routinely
• taking painkillers

are the most common method to fix your headache but it is better to take medicines prescribed by your doctor.

Your headache can be permanently fixed only when you seek treatment from doctors, the above methods will just help you to control the pain for a short duration.

Your dentist can help you with the headaches too!

Diagnosing the cause of a headache can be a long and tedious process, the best way to treat your headaches is to trust health professionals and follow up with your treatment advised by them. There are a lot of tests and exercises that can determine the cause done by health professionals. It's best not to delay the treatment.

Lets be sure that your headaches are not tooth related!