About 45 million Americans suffer from headaches each year robbing them of time at work, school or with their families. More people complain about headaches than any other medical condition and attempting to discover the reason for the headaches often leads to many visits to physicians and specialists without receiving a diagnosis.

Migraines or frequent, continual headaches may be a sign of temporomandibular joint dysfunction or TMJ. This is especially true of headaches that occur in the morning.  The temporomandibular joint (jaw joint) is one of the most complex in the human body. Common causes of TMJ pain include accidents, bruxism (grinding teeth at night) or a bad bite (malocclusion).

Malocclusion can occur for many reasons. Teeth may not fit together properly because of old, broken dental work, misaligned teeth or missing teeth. A dentist who has specialized training in the field of neuromuscular dentistry has the ability to correct the improper bite and relieve stress on the temporomandibular joint, allowing the muscles surrounding the joint to relax. This relieves the recurring headaches and the neck and shoulder pain that often accompany them.

If you suffer from frequent, recurring headaches please contact StoneRidge Dental Care at 614-476-6696 today to schedule your appointment for a TMJ evaluation.