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| The Temporalis Muscle is a Common Location of "TMJ Headache" |
I have many patients present in my office with a history of headaches. Often these headaches are a manifestation of Temporomandibular Disorder, commonly called TMJ. Patients rarely make the connection between their mouth and this head pain. Unfortunately many physicians do not either and patients can go for years suffering from this pain which most of the time can be
easily managed with an NTI Device (go to my
website to find out how). Patients usually attribute their pain to "tension" headaches or sinus trouble. So how can you tell if your headaches are TMJ related? Most important is the location of the pain. Headaches with TMJ are mostly due to muscle fatigue and pain of the temporalis muscle, which can be seen in the picture above. This powerful muscle fans out the side of your skull from your temples to nearly the top of your head.This pain is simply from overuse of the muscle while asleep due to grinding or clenching of the teeth. Temporalis muscle pain with lesser TMJ pain in other structures often results when a patients clenches more than they grind. In my experience many patients with temporal (i.e. side of the head) headaches suffer from pain due to clenching and grinding.
Nighttime clenching can also aggravate migraine headaches and the NTI device is
FDA approved as an adjunctive migraine treatment as well.
UPDATE - We have now connected with the
physical therapy team at St. Agnes Hospital who have experts in TMJ Disorder management. Physical therapy is an important part of TMJ treatment for many patients.
The NTI Device Reduces Nighttime Clenching
UPDATE - The popular and effective
NTI devices are now being made by Keller Labs. They are made out of a durable and stain resistant material that should last for years. They even make a soft liner version that is ideal for patients with crowded teeth, crowns, or veneers.
