Understanding the interconnection

*Headaches And Your Bite

“Not Another Headache”

ONE IN EIGHT AMERICANS SUFFER FROM RECURRING HEADACHES

THAT ARE SO SEVERE THEY CANNOT CARRY OUT NORMAL LIVING! 

Knowing Your

Headaches

Migraines• Most common type• Throbbing• Can occur on both or one side• Accompanied by:

• Vomiting• Nausea• Loss of appetite

• Worsened by:• Bright light• Activity• Loud noise

• Has a duration of 4-12 hours• Prodromal onset• Unique feature is an aura (a change in

vision, sound, taste, and smell occurring shortly before onset

• Occurring during ages 10-40• Predominantly affecting women

Tension Headaches• Also known as muscle contraction

headaches• Focus areas are:

• Neck• Back of the head (Occipital)• Temples• Forehead

• Produce feeling of tightness surrounding the head

• Tenderness in the muscles:• Scalp• Neck• Shoulders

• Usually not accompanied by symptoms such as nausea or aura

• Also most common type of headache• Respond well to rest and OTC pain relievers• Occurrence can be daily• Many tension headaches are completely or

partially due to TMJ/Occlusal imbalances

Cluster Headaches• Most unique type of headaches• Less common• Predominantly affecting men• Occurs in clusters• Duration days – several weeks• Reoccurrence very rare (months – years)• Symptoms

• Short duration• Building up explosively• More than one episode per day• Tends to center around the eye and may

spread to rest of face• Redness, tearing and droopy of the

affected eye• Runny and blocked nostril on the affected

side• Activity may relief severity

Chronic Headaches• Daily headaches• May last for months or even years• Very similar to tension headaches, but can

have similar symptoms such as migraines and cluster headaches

• Two main characteristics:1. Stress and depression are usual

triggers2. Temptation to overuse pain relieving

drugs, hence headaches become more persistant

Medical Conditions• Some of these conditions could be serious,

but most are benign and harmless• Some may include:

• Brain tumors• Strokes• Aneurysms• Trauma to the head• Meningitis• Brain infections• Arthritis affecting the neck• Side effects from medications• Withdrawal from drugs such as

caffeine and narcotics• Alcohol hanovers

Today, there is a growing realization that a common cause of Tension Headaches

is a bad bite!

How Can Your Bite Cause A Headaches?The muscles, which control your jaw and hold your head upright are very complex. Many people do not realize that every time they swallow, their upper and lower teeth must come together in a firm way to brace the jaw against the skull. We swallow over 2000 times each day and night! If your bite is unstable, as from poorly aligned teeth or even a missing tooth, the muscles must work harder to bring the teeth together. Most people take a vacation from work when they tire out-but your jaw muscles never get a break! The overworked muscles become strained. When muscles are under constant strain, they eventually become painful.

The Vicious Cycle

The AnswerA Gneuromuscular Orthosis• It assists in the orthopedic re-

alignment• Maintains and manages the

upper and lower jaw relationship in a physiologic manner

• It is anatomical and not flat• Provides a balanced occlusion• Maintains an unstrained and

physiologic muscle and TMJoint relationship

• Does not encroach on tongue space

• It is manufactured based on Optimized Bite® and TENS (Trans-Electrical-Neural-Stimmulation) guidelines