Migraine Headaches and TMJ Syndrome

Headache and TMJ syndrome may go hand in hand if you have chronic recurring headaches. While it may have more wildly in 1970, recently, new imaging techniques like MRI, for a better diagnosis of this common facial that causes so much suffering.
ATM, or temporomandibular joint syndrome as a disorder is generally considered poor, at present, in terms of how it is caused to understand. While many patients have bruxism or bruxism at night, others may have had trauma, osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. Often the cause is unknown. For those of you with migraine, the grinding of the jaw muscle spasms in the temples constant. This therefore leads to a migraine.
Symptoms of TMJ can include one or all of the following: pain or tenderness in the jaw and / or around the ear, difficulty chewing, a sound during the opening of the jaw, causing spasms of the jaw to "lock" when open or closed, uncomfortable or uneven bite, and, finally, a headache!
Test for TMJ
TMJ diagnosis includes a good story, such as sleep, grinding habits during the day and general tension. An examination of the jaw should involve palpation of the municipality both within and outside the mouth. Imaging of the jaw is needed to determine the amount of damage to the municipality. Might be X-rays, a CT scan of the jaw or even an MRI, the medical benefit.
Once diagnosed, you should have a dentist who will be relegated to the syndrome TMJ specialist.
TMJ Treatment
Treatment of TMJ may greatly reduce your headaches. But like everything else, a multi-factorial approach to the problem will give the best results for you. These are the most common treatment for TMJ patients who also migraine.
Overuse of the muscles of mastication. This change is primarily a way of life. You must be willing to recognize when grinding the teeth during the day and learn to relax the jaw. Try to eat well, not for food difficult to chew up a bit to heal '.
Appliances. Depending on the specific case, can help the dental bite plate or rail, close the teeth at night. A device for night watchman could also be used to avoid loops.
Drugs. Various medications can relieve pain and thereby reduce the headache. A short course of steroids reduces inflammation, or if the condition could be used no severe inflammation. Contraction of the jaw muscles could contribute to this problem, and the drug Elavil is ideal for this.
Dental repair. Your dentist may recommend dental treatment that does not make much sense to you at first. However, correcting bite his teeth and demand reparation for the profiles of the teeth that are not adequately all the meetings are used to reduce the TMJ.
Surgery. This is an option and is designed for cases where the above options is subject to failure. In this case, the municipality is so bad that the joint reconstruction or replacement may be recommended. And again. . Your headache and ATM can be reduced!
If you have any doubt, visit your dentist to begin and ask for tests of TMJ. Speak with your specialist headache also the manner in which they are aware of the condition. If you do not see a specialist headache, your doctor should be able to help.