Are you constantly relying on ibuprofen or other OTC pain relievers to get through the day? Chronic headaches can be a major disruption to your agenda, and they can certainly jeopardize your quality of life. If you are tired of battling daily headaches or taking pills to find relief, consider making an appointment with your dentist. That’s right; the trigger of your headaches could be within your mouth.
There are actually multiple ways that your dentist can help your headaches because there are several dental-related factors that could be causing your pain. Here are the most common triggers:
- A Bad Bite
- Also called “malocclusion.” Your teeth don’t fit like they should, which creates excessive strain on your jaw throughout the day and especially when you bite down and chew your food. Orthodontic treatment can relieve this problem.
- A Bad Habit
- Tooth grinding and clenching are a leading source for chronic tension headaches. This often occurs during the night, or while you are sleeping. In this situation, your dentist can fit you with a custom nightguard to prevent bruxism and its effects on your teeth and jaw.
- A Bad Tooth
- It is also possible to have residual pain in the face, ear and head due to a severely infected tooth. This is especially true if the damaged tooth is in the back of your mouth and the infection has spread to the surrounding bone. Impacted wisdom teeth can also create this type of discomfort. A root canal or even tooth extraction may be necessary in this case.
If you’d like to find out more about drug free headache prevention from a skilled Central Park dentist, call Park South Dentistry today. We provide accurate diagnostics and comfortable treatments!