It seems crazy – chewing too much gum can cause severe headaches. But research carried out at Tel Aviv University, and published in Pediatric Neurology, looked at the connection between chronic headaches and teen gum chewing habits.

Thirty teenagers were grouped according to how much time they spent chewing gum each day. All of the groups were asked to completely stop chewing gum for one month. Researchers checked back with them after the month was up.  Twenty-six of the teens reported improvement in their symptoms and 19 stopped experiencing headaches altogether after they stopped chewing gum.

When the kids started chewing gum again, 20 teens started experiencing the headaches once more. Researchers blame the headaches on stress to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) caused by the frequent gum chewing. Dr. Nathan Watemberg said “Every doctor knows that overuse of the TMJ will cause headaches. I believe this is what’s happening when children and teenagers chew gum excessively.”

Of course, the link between overuse of the jaw joint and painful symptoms is not limited to teenagers. Adults and smaller children can experience this problem as well.

TMJ problems can cause headache (even migraine-like), facial pain, neck pain, jaw pain and even changes in hearing. If you are experiencing these symptoms a visit to a dentist who has training and experience in treating these issues is needed. Until you can see the trained TMJ dentist here are a few tips to help ease the discomfort:

• Alternate hot and cold compresses to the jaw area.
• Switch to a soft diet – avoid eating anything harder than cooked pasta. This especially means avoiding salad greens and raw vegetables of any kind.
• Stifle your yawns, avoid opening your mouth wide.
• Check your posture. Avoid holding a phone between shoulder and ear and women should stop carrying heavy shoulder bags.
• Don’t rest your chin on your hand.
• Over-the-counter medications like Motrin or Tylenol may help.

TMJ problems can be caused by overuse of the jaw or by accidents, arthritis or a poor bite. TMJ pain can be severe and treatment is needed to return the jaw to a healthy state. Contact your Columbus TMJ dentist at 614-915-0134 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Mark Levy.