There is more to headaches in the morning after you wake up than just a common headache people often suffer from stress or colds. The thing is that if you have a chronic headache or pain on your shoulder or neck in the mornings, you might be suffering from TMJ or the Temporomandibular Joint Disorder. This is a jaw disorder where both of your upper and lower jaws are not aligned properly. This causes a stress on the joints of your jaw that put so much pressure on the muscles and nerves around this area. This is usually the cause behind the migraines, the morning headaches or the pain you feel on your neck or shoulders. That is why if you are having these symptoms, it is best to visit your dentist for consultation.

With temporomandibular disorder, you don’t necessarily have the above symptoms. TMJ disorder can cause several dental problems as well. These are as follows:

• Broken teeth
• Loose tooth or teeth
• Toothaches
  

  Headache or TMJ?

Whatever symptoms you might be feeling now, you have to seek professional care to alleviate the situation. With professional help, you will be advised as to what to do. The following tips your dentist can give you which produces some relief for the discomfort TMJ disorder can bring, which can be just temporary; these include:

• Resting your jaws. You can rest your jaw by avoiding unnecessary chewing. This means that you might have to avoid chewing gums or hard candies and eating soft food.
• Do some jaw exercises. Your dentist can show you a couple of exercises that you can do that is perfect for your condition. These exercises can help stretch the joints and relieve tension.
• Placing ice pack. This will help reduce inflammation.
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID). These include Advil and Motrin which will help with not only pain, but also inflammation.
• Dental splint. These are custom made devices that is fitted over your lower or upper teeth. This will help to lessen the damage every time you grind your teeth or clench your jaw. There are several types of dental splints and your dentist will advise you on which will work best for you.

If your case is more severe and the solutions above don’t work, there is another method your dentist can help you with. An injection of cortisone will help reduce the pain and inflammation. Also acupuncture has been known to help with pain and inflammation and relaxing the muscles of the jaw. And if worse comes to worst, there are surgical treatment to align the jaw and get rid of the problem. For the best solution, you will need to visit the experts right away.

If you have headaches in the morning or have any other symptoms associated with above information, please feel free to call our dental office for an appointment to be evaluated for TMJ disorder. You can contact us at 323-771-7254.

By: Ladan Zinati