Migraine Treatment for Chronic Headache Relief

All treatments for migraine have the same goals in common: halt or at least reduce the excruciating pain and minimize the other significant symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting. Today’s medical treatment methods employ a variety of different strategies to control and ease the pain.

Migraine treatment usually falls into two categories: medications that stop an attack (acute treatments) and medications that prevent attacks (preventive treatments).
The most commonly used today include:
🟢 Acute (Rescue) Medications are taken when a migraine starts: Triptans (first-line choice for moderate to severe migraines)
Examples: Sumatriptan, Rizatriptan → Targets serotonin receptors to reduce inflammation and pain.
NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
Examples: Ibuprofen, Naproxen → Often used for mild to moderate migraines. Gepants (newer CGRP blockers for acute use)
Examples: Ubrogepant, Rimegepant.
Alternative for people who can’t take triptans: Ditans
Example: Lasmiditan → Designed for patients with cardiovascular risks (no vasoconstriction)
🔵 Preventive (Preventative) Medications are taken regularly to supposedly reduce frequency and severity: CGRP monoclonal antibodies (very commonly used today)
Examples: Erenumab, Fremanezumab, Galcanezumab → Specifically "designed" for migraine prevention
Beta blockers
Examples: Propranolol, Metoprolol → Originally for blood pressure.
Anticonvulsants
Examples: Topiramate, Valproate → Try to stabilize nerve activity Antidepressants Example: Amitriptyline → When migraines overlap with sleep or mood issues

Overuse of acute meds has been shown to lead to medication-overuse headaches! Many patients use a combination of acute + preventive therapies

Headaches can start between the ages of 10 and 46, and can have some genetic components. The genetic factors are due to skeletal imbalance problems that are passed on from generation to generation. It is these skeletal imbalance problems that must be diagnosed and treated in order to eliminate the chronic pain.

Migraine headache may be diagnosed by your family doctor based on your symptoms. Your doctor will take a detailed history to make sure that your headaches are not due to sinus inflammation, or a more serious underlying brain disorder. During the physical exam, your doctor will probably not find anything wrong with you.

Your doctor may refer you to a neurologist and possibly order an MRI or CT scan to rule out other causes of headache, such as sinus inflammation or a brain mass. In the case of a complicated migraine, an EEG may be needed to exclude seizures. Rarely, a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) might be performed to rule out bacterial or viral infections. These tests are recommended by your doctor and us for all chronic head pain patients!

Stroke is an extremely rare complication from severe migraines. This risk may be due to prolonged narrowing of the blood vessels, limiting blood flow to parts of the brain for an extended period of time.

Migraine headache patients are normally told that it’s just stress or a sinus problem or perhaps some residual, lingering effect of an accident we had years ago. Sadly, a sizable number of these inadequately diagnosed patients are recommended to use popular pain medications, which do nothing to address the root causes of pain.
Most migraine sufferers go from doctor to doctor looking for the definitive treatment that will permanently resolve their pain. Each new physician, or therapist, claims expertise in pain management and proceeds to treat it accordingly. Often, the results are temporary.

Based on our decades of experiences and treating tens of thousands of chronic head pain sufferers we have found that nearly all headache practitioners fail to recognize and address the most critical problem: craniomandibular dysfunction.

So, how do you find the correct diagnosis and the proper treatment for your migraine problem? Fortunately, today’s modern craniofacial pain treatments are curing chronic headaches, migraines, and facial pain with nearly 100% success rate. The explanation for your migraine problems and the cause behind your symptoms is as follows.

Research has undeniably established the association between intense chronic muscle contraction and chronic pain, especially in your head. When any muscles become overused, pain begins to develop in those muscles and associated structures. The bulk of this dysfunctional muscular activity starts to eventually damage any neighboring joints and ligaments. When joints become damaged muscles try to protect them by splinting themselves into even more activity. An endless cycle ensues and pain worsens. 95% of headaches and migraines have an underlying factor: damage to the TMJ (jaw joint) and trigeminal nerve caused by overactive jaw muscle activity or genetic skeletal imbalance factors. Many times this damage goes unnoticed and undiagnosed by your physician and your dentist. Eventually the muscle dysfunction, trigeminal neuritis, and joint damage can lead to debilitating pain, sensitivity to light, and all of the other symptoms of the common migraine.

Most common headaches start out as simple muscle tension problems. Remember that bad day at work? You probably clenched your teeth all day and assumed a “tense” postural position while working. For a majority of us, a couple of Advils take away that sporadic problem. Unfortunately, for the migraine sufferer the Advils stopped working a long time ago. The reason is simple: the migraine patient has an undiagnosed skull imbalance or jaw joint problem which worsens over time. This is especially true when they clench or grind their teeth or may have been born with an unstable or deficient bite. This problem can be the result of genetics or long-term wear and tear. The patient who had braces to correct crooked teeth has the same possible jaw joint damage that a person who wears down their jaw joints due to constant clenching and grinding.

The common denominator is that the migraine patient has developed some abnormal muscle function and usually extensive damage to the jaw joint that has been neglected and undiagnosed. These two problems lead to worsening muscle function, abnormal trigeminal nerve conduction, and blood flow alteration inside of the brain. Research has shown that the jaw muscles of a migraine patient can be in a constant state of tension (or contraction) while the trigeminal nerve exhibits abnormal excitation. Other factors begin to develop as a result, which can cause the entire nervous system to become unbalanced.
Other factors begin to develop as a result of the constant state of tension. The nervous system has 3 parts: the voluntary one, which you control, and the 2 involuntary parts that you cannot control (sympathetic, which gets you into high gear and parasympathetic, which allows you to heal). The sympathetic nervous system begins to overwork itself in patients with abnormal muscle function. Increased input to the muscles from the sympathetic nervous system further increases the tension and contraction of the muscles. It’s a 'silent' action, one that is not readily observed clinically.

The sympathetic nervous system subsequently begins to overwork itself. Increased input to the muscles from the sympathetic nervous system increases the tension and contraction of the muscles. At the same time, lack of parasympathetic nervous system activity can cause metabolic, digestive, and cardiovascular problems as the body cannot properly heal due to lack of parasympathetic nervous system function.

People with chronic pain feel as though their bodies are burning up. This is a normal response to the pain being caused by the nervous system. Pain eventually leads to loss of sleep, and prevents the nervous system from coming into balance. The sympathetic nervous system (the accelerator) does not shut down and our bodies get depleted. We feel tired, irritated, nervous, depressed, and angry. The parasympathetic nervous system requires time to replenish the body with the hormones and nutrients that it needs. The sympathetic system overtaxes the system and thereby causes the parasympathetic system to function inefficiently by not allowing it to turn on. Health problems kick in.

It’s during certain stressful parts of the day that we clench or grind and cause muscular damage. At night, the stress can continue. During sleep even the slightest touching of the teeth requires contraction of the temporalis and masseter muscles. You can’t put your teeth together without contracting these two powerful muscles. Stress and anxiety can cause severe clenching.

As a basic rule of Mother Nature, your teeth should not touch more than a few hundred times per day! This allowance is for when you chew finer foods like spinach or lettuce. Otherwise, your teeth are designed to mesh food without having to crunch themselves together! It’s a good bet that your teeth are probably touching right now as you read this page. Forcing your teeth to touch requires contraction of the temporalis and masseter muscles. Continual contraction of these closing muscles creates a dysfunctional state as described above. This problem may not be painful until later in life. It takes time to damage the teeth and jaw joints and associated structures. This endpoint usually happens when the jaw joint wears out and all surrounding tissues go into a “silent” dysfunction due to the damage. This 'silent problem' is called a migraine.

Our jaws and teeth are built to handle roughly 3,000 opening-and-closing movements each day. About 1,000 of those occur during normal activities like swallowing, chewing, and speaking. Altogether, your teeth are only meant to touch for less than 24 minutes a day—even when eating.
However, someone who clenches their jaw may bring their teeth together more than 15,000 times daily. If clenching continues throughout the day, that number can rise to around 20,000. Frequent chewing—especially of fibrous foods like lettuce, spinach, and kale—can push the total beyond 25,000 cycles per day.
This level of use places significant strain on the teeth, jaw muscles, ligaments, and joints—far beyond what they are designed to handle.

Please remember that the migraine patient can also have a genetic problem of jaw imbalance that they inherited from a parent. The jaw imbalance causes faster and more rapid wear and tear of the joint, especially when coupled with abnormal muscle activity. Many times this is a slow process that begins during childhood and continues without the person being aware.

If the sufferer has a genetic component of jaw imbalance problems, then the body senses this inherent dysfunction as damage to the body and tries to protect it by sending even more muscles into spasms. The muscle function and joint damage is not readily diagnosed or observed by a majority of doctors.

The way your teeth, jaw, skull, and neck work together plays an important role in how your body experiences pain. When this system is out of balance—especially around the Temporomandibular joint—it can place excessive strain on muscles and irritate nearby nerves. Over time, this added stress may contribute to a range of symptoms, including headaches, jaw pain, facial pain, and neck discomfort. In some individuals, it can also act as a trigger that worsens conditions like Migraine, as well as symptoms such as Tinnitus and Vertigo.

The structural and muscular imbalances are often an overlooked piece of the puzzle. By identifying and correcting these imbalances it is possible to reduce strain on the nervous system, improve function, and help patients experience meaningful relief—especially when this approach is combined with a comprehensive understanding of how the brain and body process pain.

The Trigeminal nerve is the primary nerve that carries sensory information—including pain—from much of the face, teeth, jaw, and parts of the head to the central nervous system. Because of its extensive reach, irritation or dysfunction in areas it serves—such as the jaw muscles or teeth—can contribute to head and facial pain. In people who are already susceptible, input from trigeminal pathways can trigger or worsen migraines and certain types of headaches. It can also play a role in conditions like facial pain, jaw disorders, vertigo, dizziness, ear pain, and tinnitus.

Contemporary research indicates there is general agreement in the medical community that the Trigeminovascular system (trigeminal nerve + associated blood vessels) plays a key role in migraine. The Trigeminal nerve carries pain signals from the face, meninges, and blood vessels to the brain. Activation of this system is linked to release of molecules like CGRP, which is why newer drugs target that pathway. Treating symptoms with medications unfortunately does not resolve the real cause of the problem.

The Trigeminal nerve is a major pain pathway in the head and is central to migraine. In migraine, the Trigeminovascular system becomes activated. Trigeminal fibers release neuropeptides (like CGRP) around the meninges, which promotes inflammation and sensitizes pain pathways. Jaw/TMJ issues—at the Temporomandibular joint and surrounding muscles—can trigger and amplify headaches because they share trigeminal innervation. The medical community considers Migraine as a neurovascular disorder, with brain network excitability leading and vascular changes following. Research is never aimed at finding the true cause since that would not drive the stock price of Big Pharma. Treating symptoms is huge profits. Solving the real problem is not financially rewarding.

The trigeminal nerve plays a central role in migraine because it connects directly to the brainstem and helps carry pain signals from the head and face to the brain. When this system becomes overly sensitive—as it often does in headache sufferers—it can amplify pain signals and make the nervous system more reactive to everyday stimuli. In migraine patients, the nervous system doesn’t regulate sensory input as efficiently as it should. Instead of filtering and calming incoming signals, the brain can become more easily overstimulated. This heightened sensitivity is part of what leads to recurring headaches, facial pain, and increased response to triggers like stress, muscle tension, or poor sleep.

Neurotransmitters such as serotonin also play an important role in this process. Rather than acting as “fuel,” serotonin helps regulate how pain signals are processed and how blood vessels and nerves respond during a migraine. When these systems are out of balance, it can contribute to the onset and persistence of symptoms. Over time, repeated activation of these pain pathways can make the nervous system more prone to future episodes—a process often referred to as sensitization. This is why headaches can become more frequent or intense if the underlying patterns aren’t addressed. Jaw tension or muscle dysfunction contributes to this cycle in the majority of migraine patients. It is important to understand the complex interaction between the brain, nerves, teeth, jaws, jaw joint, muscles, ligaments, blood vessels, and sensory processing systems.

Neurotransmitters like Serotonin play an important role in how your brain regulates pain, mood, and sensory input. In conditions like Migraine and chronic headaches, these systems can become imbalanced—making the nervous system more sensitive and reactive. Over time, this heightened sensitivity can affect many areas of daily life, including focus, energy, mood, sleep, and overall well-being. That’s why head pain is often more than “just a headache”—it can impact how you function day to day.

Many commonly prescribed medications—such as Sertraline (Zoloft), Fluoxetine (Prozac), or Sumatriptan (Imitrex)—are designed to help regulate these pathways and reduce symptoms. For some patients, they can be helpful in improving quality of life. But for how long? Medication alone doesn’t address why the nervous system became dysregulated in the first place.

Factors like muscle tension, jaw dysfunction, poor sleep, stress, and structural imbalances can continue to place strain on the system. Medication treats symptoms, not cause. That’s why a comprehensive approach is needed—one that looks beyond symptom control to identify and correct contributing factors. By improving how the muscles, joints, and nervous system work together, it’s often possible to reduce stress on the body and support more lasting relief.

It is critical to realize that human beings use their lower jaw over 5,000 times a day. Think about what would happen if you tried to ride 1,000 miles on a bicycle that had missing spokes.

Your lower jaw is one of the most active joints in your body—used thousands of times every day for speaking, chewing, and even subtle movements you don’t notice. When this system isn’t functioning properly, the effects can add up quickly. The jaw, head, and neck are closely connected through muscles and the Trigeminal nerve, a major pathway that carries sensation and pain signals to the brain. When there is ongoing strain—whether from clenching, grinding, bite imbalance, or muscle overuse—the system can become overloaded.

This constant stress can lead to muscle fatigue, joint irritation in the Temporomandibular joint, and increased sensitivity in the nervous system. Over time, that heightened sensitivity can act as a trigger—contributing to recurring headaches, facial pain, and even worsening symptoms like Migraine. Think of it like driving a car with poor alignment. You can keep driving, but the longer it goes uncorrected, the more strain builds—and the more problems begin to surface.

The key is to manage symptoms, identifying the cause, and correct the underlying sources of stress on the system. By improving how the jaw, muscles, and nervous system work together, it’s often possible to reduce that overload and help the body function more comfortably and efficiently.

The trigeminal nerve is a key pathway for head and facial pain and it is directly linked to what we call craniomandibular dysfunction of the jaws.
Many patients may feel a migraine on only one side or in their eye or top of head. The reason for this can often be diagnosed by which side the jaw joint is more damaged or where the muscle activity is more chronic. For example, patients who have lost teeth on their right side will experience more pain there due to loss of support and abnormal muscle and nerve activity on that side. The trigeminal nerve on that side is more affected.

If you have been diagnosed with migraine you may have heard some other common terms that the medical community has coined for this problem.

Ataxia. This means you have trouble using your muscles. It leads to lack of coordination and can make it hard to walk. It usually comes with a type called migraine with brainstem aura. It can be a result of neurological disease and may not be associated with the causes explained on this website.

Aura: Changes in vision or sensation before or with a migraine. Common sensations can include flickering lights, spots, or lines, or a loss of vision. Sometimes the person may experience numbness or tingling in other parts of the body. Speech may also be affected (Dysphasia). Sensory Aura can also be experienced in terms of tingling face, mouth, arms, or even legs.

Cause: The ophthalmic division of the trigeminal nerve is in dysfunction and normally caused by a damaged jaw joint or abnormal jaw and neck muscle function.

Cutaneous allodynia: This is when touching your skin becomes painful. During a migraine, it might hurt to put in contacts, shave, or brush your hair. Trigeminal neuralgia can cause such symptoms.

Cause: The trigeminal nerve is in a state of severe irritation normally due to damage of the TMJ!

Diplopia: Double vision.

Cause: Reduction of blood flow to the ophthalmic blood vessels due to trigeminal and facial nerve damage!

Hemiplegic migraine: One-sided pain commonly mistaken for a stroke or epilepsy. It is important to have a brain MRI to rule out stroke or other diseases.

Cause: Damage to the jaw joint on that side of the head!

Hyperosmia: Hyper-sensitive or change of smell.

Cause: Hypersensitivity of the trigeminal nerve 2nd division caused by compression of the TMJ!

Menstrual migraine: If you only get them 2 days before your period or in the first 3 days after it starts - your problem may be hormone related. Otherwise, there is a high probability that your hormonal shift is causing an increase in already irritated facial and trigeminal nerves. Most females who believe that hormones are causing their headaches are diagnosed with a jaw joint dysfunction.

Migraine prodrome: This phase of the migraine cycle happens 24 to 48 hours before a headache starts. You might notice symptoms like crankiness and mood swings, food cravings, constipation, and neck stiffness. You might notice that you yawn a lot.

Cause: Most likely stress induced by clenching and hyperactivity of jaw muscles along with a jaw joint that is already damaged

Ocular migraine: Affects your sight, like blind spots, zigzag lines, seeing stars, and even vision loss (scotoma).

Cause: Compression of the 2nd division of the trigeminal nerve due to a damaged TMJ.

Phonophobia: Sensitive to sound during a headache.

Cause: Compression of the 2nd division of the trigeminal nerve due to a damaged TMJ. Ear structures are under heavy stress caused by the TMJ.

Photosensitivity/Photophobia: Being around sunlight or artificial light may make you feel even more uncomfortable.

Cause: Compression of the 2nd division of the trigeminal nerve due to a damaged TMJ.

Dizziness/Vertigo: The sense that you’re spinning (or the world around you is spinning) when you’re really not. Dizziness may involve a sense of lightheadedness or trouble keeping your balance.

Cause: Compression of all 3 divisions of the trigeminal nerve due to a damaged TMJ and abnormal pressure of the ear structures.

To learn more, contact us today!

“I have severe migraines. Whenever I open my jaw there is a popping noise on both sides, just below my ear lobes. I read somewhere that this has something to do with the jaw not being aligned properly. Is this critical to be corrected? What will happen if left untreated? What is the treatment? Is it common? What causes it? Does it have anything to do with having teeth pulled?”

It appears that you have a dislocation of your joints most likely caused by a poor alignment of your jaws and teeth. There are numerous causes, everything from genetics to trauma or grinding of your teeth. Missing teeth is another big reason for this imbalance. You need to have proper TMJ CT scans or MRIs in order to evaluate the extent of the dislocation and cartilage damage.

Compression of the joint happens due to lack of good posterior tooth support. That’s most likely why you have migraines!Once you find out the extent of damage it is easy to come up with a treatment. You’re lucky to actually hear the noises in your joints. Most chronic sufferers usually have no joint noises, but always exhibit a damaged jaw joint. That is why so many doctors fail to diagnose TMJ problems. They think that if the joint makes no sounds, there is no problem. Unfortunately, the truth is the opposite…the fewer noises (accompanied with head pain), the more the damage to the joint that is normally apparent.

The jaw joint is a very complex part of your body. With proper treatment we can actually help to regrow connective tissue inside the joint area and provide normal healing. This type of treatment is one of the marvels of modern dentistry. We have had orthopedic surgeons inquire about how we are able to physically repair the joint. The answer is simple: we have the advantage of being able to use the teeth as soldiers in the repair process. The are no other joints in the human body that have this advantage!

“I have been experiencing a stiff neck and some back pain for some time now. I went to the Dr. for back pain and he did a x-ray and ended up doing a MRI. It all came back okay. My pain is worse and the neck is getting more stiff and spreading into my shoulder. Most recently I have had pulses of pain on my lower jaw from an apparent tooth problem. I’m wondering if this can be an abscessed tooth that is causing me to feel bad and to have the stiff neck and back pain.”

Doubtful that an abscess can cause such problems. If it was an infection, your face and throat would be quite swollen and the diagnosis could be made easily by any dentist. Most likely, you have the side effects of CMD (Craniomandibular) problems related to TMJ. One of the biggest misdiagnoses that we see today happens with patients who present with “ghost” pains. Many patients complain of tooth aches that have nothing to do with their teeth. It feels like a tooth is hurting, yet nothing shows on the x-ray or examination. Unfortunately, these patients end up receiving numerous procedures that are unnecessary.

We have seen some patients get over 20 root canals and multiple extractions for no obvious reasons other than the fact that the provider could not properly diagnose an underlying chronic CMD/TMJ problem. If you cannot receive an accurate and concise diagnosis for your problem, don’t get any dental procedure performed until you are certain that the diagnosis is correct. Instead, consider that the problem is more neurologic, skeletal, or muscular in nature. Also make sure that you consider a full cancer screening with your ENT specialist.

“I have been diagnosed with TMJ. I am wondering if having braces put back on will help. I wore braces for almost three years when I was a freshman in high-school, but my orthodontist took them off early because (he was trying to be nice) he figured it was good. I only wore rubberbands for a month and I needed to have worn them for at least 4. What should I do? I would really like to have my braces put back on not only to fix the TMJ but to also make my teeth a little straighter and my bite look better.”

A lot of TMJ problems can be caused by braces, due to the fact that the wires may cause your teeth tend to shift backwards, thereby straining the TMJoint. Some studies indicate that over 50% of patients who undergo Orthodontic or Reconstructive Dentistry can develop headaches, TMJ and jaw pain problems. Only CT and MRI scans can help to diagnose such issues. These test will also help as a blueprint towards evaluating the harmony between teeth, muscles, nerves, and joints.

Do not undertake any treatment that plans on shifting your front teeth backwards without paying attention to the position of the jaw joint. If you have “bucky beaver teeth” slow down and make sure you are on the correct treatment path. Your bite will most likely need to be “raised” and your front teeth will need some “freedom” for chewing. Sit down with your orthodontist and discuss these things carefully. A Sassouni Plus drawing and evaluation is always a starting point for such treatment. If your dentist or orthodontist cannot perform this x-ray computerized analysis, run!

“I am only 22. I had braces for three years (3rd through 6th grade) and I was in a few very bad car accidents. During my sophomore year of college I noticed my jaw hurt began hurting considerably….popping, locking (open and closed, etc.) A local dentist told me I had TMJ, and made me a stint to sit on my lower teeth. I wore it for two years, didn’t help, visited a chiropractor for a year, helped some, not much. Another dentist told me that the only teeth that were hitting were my back two molars and they were very cracked. My jaw was very much out of alignment, so he filed my back two teeth down. The only teeth that don’t touch now are the eight teeth up front. My concern is that since I have no normal overbite or underbite (my front teeth practically sit on top of one another) well, how do I fix this, or is it unfixable, and is that what makes my TMJ symptoms worse? How can I set my teeth to where they are supposed to be?”

You have just about every possible problem that a head pain sufferer has experienced – jaw misalignment, congenital problems, and trauma. Your treatment solution may include braces, root canals, crowns, gum treatment, etc. Reconstructive dentistry can help you but there are particular steps that you have to follow in order to see results.

If you do not properly diagnose your condition you could end up receiving inadequate treatment. It does not matter whether you have an overbite, underbite, crossbite, or no bite at all. What matters is how your teeth and jaws work together and where your jaw joints ends up when you function. You also need to check your neck for possible damage from your car accident.

An MRI is critical to find out if you have any slipped discs or vertebral damage. Neck dysfunction can exacerbate your problem and make treatment much harder to accomplish. The neck and the jaws work closely together to accomplish the basic functions of your head. One cannot function properly without the other.

“I suffered tmj from whiplash for about four months. When I put my finger next to my ear and I open and close my mouth I feel a bump coming and going. It feels dislocated. I open my mouth and I have a bump that is hard sticking out of my skin next to my ear. Its been 4 months. It constantly gets worse. What should I have done and what is the bump? Is it dislocated? What treatment is best?”

The first concern with any bumps is to have them evaluated and make sure that your jaws are not broken. Only x-rays can show this. An oral surgeon should evaluate you for this problem. On a lighter note, the bump you feel may just be the top part of your jaw bone (head of the condyle.) You feel this part because it moves freely.

The jaw functions in different angles. It rotates, it slides, it moves side to side, and front to back. It is the most complex joint in the human body. It also is responsible for being intimately associated with over 25% of the nerves of your body and over 40% of the nerves of your head. Any problems with the joint itself can have far reaching effects on your total health.

If you were diagnosed with whiplash, which normally occurs in accidents even as low impact as 9 mph, you must be careful to protect your joint from future damage. Sometimes a small tear shows no signs of pain or problems for many months, even years. We see many car accident victims years after the trauma. At first, nothing is found. However, as time progresses the joint can wear down as a result of even minor damage.

“A year ago I was diagnosed with TMJ after being treated for everything from a sinus infection to an ear infection. With the TMJ I have horrible headaches that sometimes will not allow me to perform my job. I have been to an oral surgeon, and he removed all of my wisdom teeth and we waited to see if the problem got better, it didn’t, actually, it feels as if it got worse. This particular doctor told me that TMJ does not cause headaches and that I should see someone about braces to solve my problem. It seems like I am running around in circles trying to get the proper care. I have been suffering from this for at least a year now.”

Your surgeon is 100% WRONG! 99% of all headaches, including undiagnosed migraines, are caused by the TMJ. Taking out wisdom teeth is a common practice performed by specialists who think it will solve TMJ problems. We have yet to see a TMJ patient improve after having their wisdom teeth extracted. In fact, it usually causes a worsening of symptoms.

Unless the wisdom teeth are causing serious bite problems or infections you should NOT consider their removal in hopes of solving a TMJ or jaw pain problem. Wisdom teeth normally only cause jaw pain when they are infected. Follow the advice on this website to get the right diagnosis.

“For the past two months, I have been to the doctor 5 times. I thought I had ear and sinus infections. But none of the medicine seems to help. I recently started to notice that my jaw is extremely sore. Someone told me it is possibly TMJ, because I clench my teeth very bad at night. I also noticed that my neck and arms were very sore too. I felt like I couldn’t extend my arms all the way out. Would this be a result of TMJ? Before I knew about TMJ I scheduled an appointment to go see an ENT because I thought I had bad ear problems. But I have come to the conclusion that I probably have TMJ (because all the symptoms I have fall into TMJ).”

Seeing an ENT specialist is always advised to be certain that nothing more serious is going on (i.e. cancer, cysts, etc.). In this case you probably do need to see them. Most of your symptoms DO point to an advanced neuromuscular problem, most likely associated with your neck and jaw muscles.

You must get a proper diagnosis for both your jaws and neck. You will need a TMJ expert as well as a physical medicine specialist to guide your treatment.

“About four months ago I happened to be reading and all of a sudden I developed this pain in my left eye, like a dull ache. The same goes for my left ear. For a few days it felt sore. I had my sinuses x-rayed and a series of blood work, had my eyes examined by the eye doctor. All the results came back negative. Also I felt this pain on left side on top of my head a numbness. It feels like something is pushing into my eye. Could it be my wisdom teeth? I know I have still two I haven’t had removed. Also the pain is felt more when I move my jaw.”

Your wisdom teeth and your eyes are two counties away from each other. Only serious cysts or infections in the wisdom tooth area could cause such visual disturbances. I doubt it’s your wisdom teeth, but have them evaluated by an oral surgeon nevertheless. What you are describing are typical symptoms of jaw joint compression problems. The same nerve that feeds sensation to your eyes goes to your sinuses, teeth, jaws, tongue, gums, etc.

Read more about the trigeminal nerve and its huge effects on head pain! New studies are currently showing that the trigeminal nerve controls not only the function of the jaws, teeth, gums, tongue, sinuses, eyes, etc. but also directly controls the blood flow of the arteries within the brain itself. Furthermore, studies show that your brain spends over 50% of its energy trying to process input from this nerve alone. Now you know why a phantom tooth ache and your fifth pair of glasses remain undiagnosed by your doctor.

“I am 22 years old. I just recently went to the ER for severe headaches, pain in the jaw area and for being nauseous. My doctor told me that I have TMJ and gave me medicine for it that is not helping. What I was wondering was if my being nauseous all of the time and literally getting sick could be caused by this TMJ??? I have been this way ever since I visited the emergency room 2 weeks ago!! Please help me with any information that you can. It would be greatly appreciated!”

Great doctor for understanding the cause. Your headaches are causing your vagus nerve to go into dysfunction. Many of the nerves from your jaws, tongue, throat, neck , ears, etc. meet together at an area called the medullary dorsal horn (in the brain stem). Such powerful nerves as the trigeminal, facial, hypoglossal, accessory, and vagus are interconnected in this area of the brain stem. That is why so many unexplained symptoms happen with patients suffering from headaches and facial/head pain: burning tongue, fired-up throat, “ghost” tooth pain, vomiting, rushing heart rates, flushing of the face/neck, congested sinuses, dizzinness, ringing in the ears, etc. Even if one of these nerves are compressed all of the above nerves can be thrown off track and start producing irrational changes in your head and neck areas.

“I had suffered from extreme ear aches, pressure and jaw clicking for over a year until my doctor had diagnosed me with TMJ. I went to an orthodontist and decided to have braces put on. During this time I would have jaw pain and “noises”. I described it to my dentist as if my jaw was making a sliding noise. He listened to my jaw with some device and told me that if it continued that we may have to take the braces off. Anyway I continue to wear braces for 3 years. Everything seemed to be fine until March 1st. I woke up feeling a little “brain fog” and had this pulsating or hissing noise in my right ear only. It was not a constant noise just if I bent over or moved my neck in a certain direction. I went to the doctors and he said he said that my ear was retracted and that was caused by TMJ. Anyway, I have been dealing with this for the past 10 months and was wondering if you have any suggestions. I have tried Zyrtec and Allegra D which did help a little.”

Your orthodontic treatment may need to be tweaked. TMJ problems can be solved with functional orthodontics. They can also be caused by such treatment. If you have not completed a CT or MRI study of your TMJs then you should not proceed with the braces. If the CT or MRI scan shows damage of the TMJ cartilage then you will have to change the orthodontic treatment approach. The options for this change may include correcting the jaw position first and then finishing the orthodontics to match that healed position.

“I have seen a couple of TMJ specialists who gave me various splints and mouthpieces and told me that they will cure my pain problems. A year later, I am no better. I feel like I wasted my money.”

We hear this as a common complaint at our office. If your specialist outlined a full treatment program for you and you have not improved significantly after 6 months then there must be something wrong with the care. Find out what your specialist diagnosed and what the scope of the treatment is. If they cannot answer that question than you probably won’t see results. Many times we also see treatment with mouthpieces that are incorrectly designed and fitted.