San Ramon Cosmetic Dentistry Blog | Sean Michael Anderson, D.D.S.

Migraine-like headaches are one symptom of Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD). These headaches can be very intense and debilitating. Many doctors misdiagnose these headaches to be migraines and prescribe pain medications to help manage the discomfort. If you are suffering from migraine-like headaches and have other symptoms of TMD, you will want to visit neuromuscular dentist, Dr. Sean Anderson for a consultation in the Danville area.

Other symptoms of TMD include:

• Face, neck, and shoulder pain
• Clicking or popping of the jaw
• Grinding teeth
• Teeth sensitivity
• Limited movement of the mouth
• Ringing in the ears

TMD Headaches

TMD headaches are different than migraines. A migraine is usually vascular and the swelling of blood vessels in the head causes the pain. A TMD headache is a tension headache and is not caused by the swelling of blood vessels.

TMD is caused by the misalignment of your jaws and the Temporomandibular Joints. The misalignment causes the muscles on one side of your face to work harder than the other side creating tension and muscle exhaustion. This tension and muscle exhaustion causes very severe, painful, and debilitating headaches.

Pain medication can help you manage the pain, but will not cure your symptoms to stop the headaches from returning. Dr. Anderson will examine and properly align your jaws to eliminate the tension and TMD symptoms. It is best to have the cause of the headaches treated instead of only treating the pain. Treating the cause will help ensure that you will not be debilitated by painful TMD headaches.

Please contact Dr. Anderson for a TMD consultation if you are suffering migraine-like headaches in the Danville, California area.