Migraine headache sufferers often think that these so-called triggers are what “cause” their headaches. In reality they are usually only the side-show on a stage that has on its center stage the interplay of neurological traffic on the Trigeminal nerve. As it turns out, this nerve is the primary (cranial) nerve controlling the face, jaws, mouth and some of the neck. But none of this matters in the middle of a headache – all you know is that it is downright painful!

If you’re a migraine sufferer, it’s important to know that the trigger is not the cause. The trigger is simply playing on an already sensitized brain which became that way due to Trigeminal Activation and the release of inflammatory proteins (‘neurogenic inflammation’) along the nerve pathways.

While muscle tension headaches are not as painful (usually) as true migraines, they can nevertheless be very agonizing and troublesome. When jaw neck and face muscles are tense and tight and overworked – especially on a chronic basis – they become sore. These sore muscles are usually sore because the posture of the bite, neck or jaws is “off”.

When the dental bite is not balanced and the muscles of the jaw are overworked trying to find a comfortable place to rest, it creates more nerve traffic on the trigeminal nerve which can cause the central nervous system and brain to become “sensitized”. It is this sensitized state which the “triggers” play on to initiate a headache. Avoiding the triggers is one method for avoiding headaches, but researchers and doctors are discovering that altering the degree of muscle activity in the neck and jaws by balancing the bite and taking the torque out of the cranial-jaw relationship, can have a profound impact on associated muscles and the status and course of headaches.

An unbalanced bite can lead to a condition called “TMD”. This stands for “temporomandibular disorder” and is sometimes referred to as “TMJ” (which is actually just the joint!). TMD is a condition where the jaw joints become strained and injured, and/or the muscles which control and support the jaws become damaged due to chronic muscle spasm. Chronically tense muscles don’t have very good blood flow – meaning they are not very well oxygenated. This allows lactic acid to accumulate in the muscles which makes the muscles hurt, which is yet another negative sensory input to the brain.

Jaw joint or jaw/neck muscle imbalances can create excess nerve traffic and can thus trigger migraines and the “garden-variety” tension headaches. If you are a migraine or tension headache sufferer who periodically has pain in your jaw, around or in your ears, or through your neck or face - it may be because you have a TMD problem.

Most people don't associate headaches with dental bite problems. This is why the majority of headache complaints are first seen by a medical doctor. But this is beginning to change as more and more people (as well as physicians) are learning that indeed the bite can and probably is a part of their headache story.

What the current science is now telling us is that anytime you have a headache - whether it's migraine or other types of headache – there is a profound effect on the nerves of the face and jaws, resulting in increased “afferent” (upstream) nerve stimulation. Regardless of whether it's coming from the meninges (the dura covering of the brain), or the teeth, jaws, jaw joint, neck or muscles - the effect is all the same. If it’s simply too much for the nervous system to handle efficiently, then the brain becomes sensitized and nerve inflammation happens.

Successful treatment to properly balance the bite and relaxing the jaw and neck muscles can and does go a long way toward reducing the frequency and severity of headaches.

If you have headaches or suspect that you have a TMJ or TMD problem, you might want to look in your mouth to see if you have any obvious signs associated with this condition. Remember that not all signs or manifestations are seen with the untrained eye, so it would be important for a dentist trained in diagnosing and treating this be consulted. Some of the signs are obvious and others aren’t.

You may find subtle signs that you have been grinding your teeth, such as worn down teeth or chipped or rough edges to your teeth. (Of course your spouse or partner may also tell you that you grind your teeth!) Broken teeth, fillings or crowns, or missing too many teeth, or having excess jaw bone form around the sides of your teeth along your jaw bone, can also suggest excessive muscle activity or jaw/teeth clenching. (Remember that the teeth are simply the “pegs” which hold the top and bottom jaws apart, and which must rub together when the muscles of the jaw and neck are energized to function or support head posture.)

There may also be crowding or mal-alignment of the teeth, and teeth that have shifted over time or with tooth loss. Sometimes there are unresolved ear complaints such as ringing of the ears, dizziness, ear congestion and ear pain. Almost always there are sore muscles inside and around the mouth when palpated (rubbed with finger pressure) which can radiate to other muscles of the jaws, joints or the face itself.

If you suspect you have a TMD problem and/or that it may be linked to your migraines and tension headaches, you owe it to yourself to have a visit with a qualified dentist who can examine your bite and dental-skeletal posture.

At the very least even if you don’t yet have observable signs (yet), you should have a dentist help you determine if your headaches are being caused or affected by your dental bite and/or jaw joint(s). The good news is that if there's a positive finding for excessive muscle involvement and imbalance, there are specific drug-free treatments available which can stop the pain and restore you to your life again.

Nothing compares to not having headaches! And those who have been in pain and are now pain free and drug free – don’t want to go back to pain!