Headaches come in many different forms and from many different causes. The two most common are migraine and “tension” headaches. Both of these are mediated by bruxism which is just a medical term for clenching and grinding your teeth together while you sleep.
It’s interesting how many patients will staunchly deny that they clench in their sleep but the facts are that EVERY human bruxes in their sleep. Some people do it badly enough to wear down their teeth while most just clench their teeth tightly together for long enough during the night that it causes muscle spasms, joint and blood vessel inflammation, and tendon damage. The most common results are headaches upon waking, sore teeth, sore jaws, neck and back pain. If it continues unchecked it can lead to jaw joint damage commonly known as TMJ and a loss of ability to fully open the mouth.
Studies have shown that as many as 83% of migraine headaches have bruxism as a major antagonist. In other words, no matter how you treat your migraine headaches, if you do not treat the underlying cause you cannot get full relief from the symptoms. Bruxism keeps the muscles and blood vessels in your temple area chronically inflamed and therefore more susceptible to migraine triggers. Click on the www.headachehope.com site and watch the videos.
Whether you have migraine headaches or just wake in the morning with a tension or sinus headache, the root cause is the same and can be alleviated almost immediately with the proper night guard appliance therapy.
We can help relieve the pain and protect your joints and teeth.