Can Your Migraine Headaches Be Caused by Teeth Grinding?

Anyone who has suffered with a migraine headache knows how painful and debilitating it can be. But there are many people who have these headaches because of a simple condition called teeth grinding or bruxism. This condition usually occurs at night while someone is sleeping and will cause them to clench their teeth and grind them against each other. Most of the time sufferers of bruxism do not even know they are grinding their teeth at night and have more painful headaches in the morning when they wake up.

There is tremendous pressure on your teeth when you are grinding and clenching them, and it can also cause sore jaws. This constant pressure is what leads to serious headaches and migraines, but it can also lead to cracked and worn down teeth as well. When the jaw muscles are tense for extended periods of time it will translate to pressure in your entire head, causing painful migraine headaches.

And it is not just a problem for adults. There are many children that suffer with bruxism as well, and usually one of the first signs is chronic headaches. If your child is frequently chipping teeth or complaining about teeth sensitivity he may be grinding his teeth during the night. The nightly grinding will put so much pressure on those little teeth that it will cause small cracks in them that might be invisible but they will allow cold and hot liquids to hit the nerves and cause shooting pain. Fortunately, children can be treated for teeth grinding just as easily as adults.

So what causes the grinding? It can be brought on by stress, an improper bite, or even medications that you may be taking. Sometimes your dentist can fix your bite so your teeth are matching up properly and this will fix the teeth grinding problem, but this can be an expensive solution. You can also try to get rid of stress in your life, but if you could you would, right? Sometimes stress is just a part of our lives, but if it causing serious teeth grinding and headaches, you need to take the proper steps to solve the problem.

One of the most effective and quickest ways to stop those migraine headaches brought on by bruxism is to get a teeth grinding mouth guard. Your dentist can make a custom dental guard for you or you can buy one online through one of the dental labs that specialize in night guards. Often you can save hundreds of dollars by using a dental lab online, but make sure they have a good track record and can guarantee your satisfaction.

http://www.hivehealthmedia.com/migraine-headaches-caused-teeth-grinding/

I have a mouth guard (the dentist made it for me)..they do help but I have broken yet another tooth..probably due to clenching through a painful day ..it's going to have to be removed now.
If you even suspect you are grinding, definitely don't put off getting one made for you..they last ages and it's potentially not just your teeth that will benefit.
J
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Auburn Hills Dentist Reinvents the Night Guard
GrindGuardN Created by Dr. Joe Pelerin

Updated: Friday, 16 Sep 2011, 6:02 PM EDT

By DEENA CENTOFANTI

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WJBK) - A local woman says no sandwich is too big for her bite now. Her pain is gone thanks to a local dentist and his invention.

Carrie Tomasko's troubles started 20 years ago.

"When I would chew, my jaw would pop and almost dislocate. So, it was difficult if I was eating a large sandwich or something. I couldn't open my mouth wide enough to get my mouth around the food," she said.

Tomasko couldn't sleep with the old school solution of a big bite guard.

"It looks like one of those things that football players wear," she told us.

Decades later, Tomasko is finally pain-free thanks to the dentist/inventor who was a patient himself.

"I didn't realize why I was getting migraine headaches, why I had shoulder, neck pain. I didn't really have any tooth issues or joint pain. Finally, I got a little pain in my left joint, TMJ, and I made a device to treat the clenching grinding. I was amazed that all my problems cleared up, said Dr. Joe Pelerin of Meadowbrook Dental in Auburn Hills.

The device is called the GrindGuardN. Different from typical bite guards, his only covers the front six to eight teeth.

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/health/auburn-hills-dentist-reinvents-the-night-guard-20110916-wpms