The number of linear feet of floor space in some modern drug stores dedicated to pills for headache relief probably approaches 30 feet or about 10 yards. The fact that 10% of the length of a football field is dedicated to headache relief impresses me. Then there are the people who get prescription medications for headaches because those they can purchase over-the-counter don’t cut the mustard. I’ve seen people who have taken pain meds for headaches until intestinal bleeding made them stop. That’s when some have sought a solution rather than a band-aid for pain.
There are many reasons for headache/facial pain that have nothing to do with the teeth or jaws. On the other hand, many headaches do relate to the teeth and jaws. How do you know if the teeth and/or jaws might be involved? If you awake in the morning with a headache and find your masseter muscles (muscles covering the angle of your lower jaw) tender to palpation, your jaws may be involved in your headaches. If you hear clicking as you open your jaw or have your jaw deviate from one side to another on opening, your jaws may be involved. If clenching your back teeth together causes your jaw joints to be tender, your bite may be a factor in your pain pattern.
Sometimes a very small change in the bite may alleviate your pain pattern. There are no promises, but many peoples’ headache patterns are dentally related, and there can be some very simple solutions. If you’d rather not be subsidizing the companies making headache medicine you might want to check out the relationship of your bite and your pain.
