Headaches and migraines are big business around the world, and in most cases, the underlying cause of the headache, migraine, neck, shoulder, and face pain goes undiagnosed. That means the cause of the pain will not be treated.

Drugs do not cure; they only mask the pain. And when the drug wears off, you have to take more and this will probably go on until you are addicted which is another problem. And every drug you take has side effects and these side effects will cause other problems. And the pain may become worse so you have to take more of the drugs.

What if the cause of the headache/migraine is an imbalance between how the upper and lower teeth come together and between how the left & right side of the jaw come together? A lot of headaches/migraines result from an uneven bite which causes trigger points — knots — that hurt in some of the 68 pairs of muscles in the head and neck.

When there is an uneven bite, the pain is from overworked and cramped muscles. When the bite is uneven, the process is started. When you bring your teeth together when you swallow, the uneven points of the teeth that are unbalanced force your jaw to move off center to avoid hitting that uneven tooth. Your jaw is then literally forced out of its socket. Your muscles want to have equal, natural movements and with an uneven bite, the muscles which position your jaw have to work harder to shift the jaw into an unnatural position. And this happens each time you swallow which is 3,000 time a day, a million times a year, and 10 million times in 10 years. No wonder there is pain.

Walk around for a day with one shoe on and one shoe off. It’s a guarantee that your leg and back muscles will start to cry out in pain. But with your jaw, this goes on a million times a year until there is some intervention. But your brain knows that there is a problem and it goes to work to grind the interfering tooth down; that’s where the clenching and grinding come from. Your brain has declared war on the interfering tooth or teeth. This is all a subconscious process and happens every time you try to get your teeth together.

The result is trigger points (knots) in the muscles and pain from those trigger points. The muscles that close the jaw are very big and go all the way around your head. And if the pain originates in one area of your head, neck, shoulder, or back, it may not be from that particular area that you experience the pain — it can be referred to some other area of the body. Pain on top of your head that you think is a headache can be from a trigger point in one of your neck muscles.

I have found that is very valuable for patients to see the relationship between their bite and what has happened to their muscles. I have a diagnostic exam that basically takes a movie picture of your bite when you chew, when you swallow, and when you move your teeth from side to side. The exam further shows muscles that have cramped up and are restricting your head’s motion. And treatment uses state-of-the-are sports technology to finally get the bite and muscles back in balance.

At Heartfelt Headache Relief in Coeur d’Alene, we offer patients a free consultation to discuss your problem. A diagnostic examination focused on revealing the root cause of the pain, and treatment (dentomandibular rehabilitation) which targets those root causes without drugs, needles, or invasive surgical procedures may reveal the answer you have been looking for.

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Dr. Donald Johnson founded Heartfelt Headache Relief in Coeur d’Alene to help patients stop their pain and live free with no limits! His office is at 114 W. Neider Ave., near Costco. The website for more information is www.HeartfeltHeadacheRelief.com and the office phone is (208) 667-4551. Schedule an appointment today!