Is Your Jaw Part of Your Facial Pain and Headaches? Here's How to Tell
Headaches that keep coming back, facial pain, a tight jaw or pressure behind your eyes have many possible causes. For some people, the jaw joints (TMJ) and the muscles around them are part of the picture, and the symptoms can feel a lot like migraines, sinus pressure or neck strain.
Dr. Thomas Harter has focused on TMJ care in Ocala since 2012. He starts with a careful evaluation to look for what may be contributing to your pain, not just the symptoms.
5 Signs Your Jaw May Be Involved
Jaw pain or tenderness
An ache or sharp pain when you chew, yawn or talk. It may be dull and constant or come and go.
Frequent headaches or pressure behind the eyes
Headaches that feel like migraines or tension headaches, often around the temples, and that don't respond well to over-the-counter pain relievers.
Ear pain or fullness without an infection
Your jaw joint sits just in front of your ear, so jaw problems can feel like ear pain, fullness or ringing even when your ears check out fine.
Clicking, popping or locking
Noises when you open or close your mouth, often on one side, or a jaw that catches or locks when you open wide.
Facial tension or soreness when you wake up
A sore jaw or face in the morning is often linked to clenching or grinding your teeth at night.
These symptoms can have more than one cause, and not every headache is related to the jaw. If your evaluation points to another cause, we'll recommend you follow up with your physician or the right specialist.
What Can Strain the Jaw?
Jaw problems often trace back to one of two kinds of stress on the joints and muscles:
- Repetitive strain (microtrauma): everyday overload that adds up over time, such as clenching, grinding or a bite and posture that keep the muscles working too hard.
- Injury (macrotrauma): a direct blow or sudden force, such as a fall, a sports injury, a car accident or whiplash. The injury may be recent or may have happened years ago.
Why These Symptoms Are Worth Checking
It's easy to brush off jaw pain and headaches as stress. But when the jaw is involved and the problem isn't addressed, symptoms can become more persistent over time, and your bite or jaw movement can be affected. An evaluation helps you understand what's going on and what your options are.
Why a Careful Evaluation Matters
The right care depends on understanding what's contributing to your symptoms. At your TMJ evaluation, Dr. Harter will:
- Review your health history and symptoms: where it hurts, when it started and what makes it better or worse
- Examine your jaw joints, jaw muscles and bite
- Use our in-office 3D X-ray (CBCT) when helpful, for a detailed view of your jaw joints and airway
- Explain what he found and talk through your options before any treatment begins
Is There a Cure for TMJ?
There's no single fix that works for everyone. Our focus is non-surgical care built around your evaluation. Depending on what we find, options we may discuss include:
- A custom oral appliance designed to support a more comfortable jaw position
- A neuromuscular approach that looks at how your bite, jaw muscles and joints work together
- MLS cold laser therapy to help with pain and inflammation
- PRF, prepared from a small sample of your own blood
- Home care guidance
Results vary from patient to patient. Learn more about TMJ treatment at Harter Dental.
Let's Talk About Your Symptoms
Schedule a TMJ evaluation with Dr. Harter at our Ocala office, 2609 SW 33rd St Suite 104. Hablamos Español.