For years I've been telling patients who are taking medication (a polite name for drugs) for migraine headaches that they may not actually have migraine.
What, you say?
No, really.
This month, Redbook Magazine, the ultimate source for dental and medical information, had an article about the four most frequently misdiagnosed syndromes. Guess what number 2 was.
2. Headaches and/or ringing or aching ears, plus aching back, neck, and/or teeth.
The doctor says: It's migraines (or an ear disorder).
It could be: Temporomandibular joint syndrome. The temporomandibular joint (say it three times fast) are the two jaw joints in front of your ears.
When this joint, which connects your jaw and skull, becomes inflamed, the pain radiates and causes headaches and pain in your face. And sometimes TMJ problems are really chewing muscle problems, where the muscles that move your lower jaw get stressed out. This often happens when you clench or grind your teeth in your sleep.
It hurts! It makes you avoid chewing foods that are not soft or that take a lot of chewing to get down.
And it can give you headaches. Sometimes bad ones. And sometimes your M.D. will call it migraine and give you drugs.
TMJ is best treated by a dentist with training in this stuff. We have a special interest in this and have helped a ton of patients become comfortable. Without strong drugs. Without jaw joint surgery.
Maybe you are the one who fits this situation.
I hope this blog was helpful. We'd be glad to talk with you if you have questions or want to explore help.
