Migraine-like headaches: when the trigger lies in the jaw system.
Painkillers, neurology, imaging – and the headache comes back? For head and facial pain, the connection with the jaw system is professionally well understood. This page goes deeper into the pattern of complaints from the overview Migraine-like headaches.
First, and more important than anything else: with a sudden, very severe headache, with fever and a stiff neck, with visual, speech or paralysis symptoms, and with a headache after a fall, you need an immediate medical or neurological assessment – not CMD diagnostics. The jaw system only becomes a sensible topic once serious causes have been ruled out.
How those affected recognise the jaw system
A headache is a symptom, not a diagnosis. It can come from the head itself, from the neck, from sleep behaviour – or from the jaw system. What we encounter again and again in consultations is a particular combination. It proves nothing, but it is a good reason to look more closely:
- Dull pressure or throbbing in the temple, forehead or back of the head.
- The pain is worst in the morning after waking and eases in the course of the day.
- A feeling of pressure behind the eyes, sensitivity to light and noise.
- Migraine attacks with or without aura, in addition to a constant tension headache.
- Worsening with stress, after longer dental treatments or after strenuous chewing.
- The jaw clicks or grates, the temple and cheek muscles are tender to pressure.
- On top of that, stubborn neck and shoulder tension.
Why the jaw system can produce headaches
The large temporal muscle belongs to the chewing muscles – it lies exactly where many people feel their headache. If the bite is unfavourable, or if you clench and grind at night, these muscles work against resistance for hours without coming to rest. The tension can carry on via muscle chains into the temples, forehead, back of the head and the base of the neck.
Then there is the trigeminal nerve. It is the main nerve for head and facial pain and also supplies the jaw joint and the chewing muscles. If this area is permanently strained, the nerve can be irritated and report the pain where you feel it – in the head, not in the jaw. That is why, with CMD, we do not talk about a broken part but about a reflex, nerve-driven misregulation: the system reacts wrongly, not a single component.
Why nobody has thought of it so far
In the neurological work-up and in imaging, you are then often told “everything is unremarkable”. That is not negligence and no reproach to those who have treated you so far. Neurology and general practice work carefully and, with an unremarkable finding, rule out exactly what would really be dangerous – important and good information. It is just that nobody there measures the bite, because it does not belong to that specialty. Hardly anyone looks at the interplay between the specialties as a whole. Why this is so →
What can be considered if the jaw system is involved
Once serious causes have been ruled out by a doctor and there are also jaw and neck complaints, the jaw system can be measured instead of guessed at. The CMD System Check records, among other things, the bite position, muscle activity by EMG and chewing forces tooth by tooth.
If the chewing muscles turn out to be overloaded, an individually made, removable splint can relieve these muscles. Physiotherapy for jaw and neck and stress reduction are sensible alongside. Whether and how much your headaches change as a result differs from person to person and cannot be predicted in advance.
Important: we work as a complement to your neurological care, not in place of it. Please discuss changes to your medication with your neurologist – not with us.
The first step is without obligation: the CMD self-test in two minutes or a CMD strategy consultation by phone.
What you can check yourself already
Before you think of the jaw system, it is worth looking at the common triggers: sleep rhythm, fluid intake, screen posture, stress and the use of painkillers. And one question that almost always gets lost: are your glasses or contact lenses currently correctly fitted? You will find a detailed overview in the guide under Constant headaches? The most common causes.
Frequently asked questions
Can migraine-like headaches really come from the jaw?
For head and facial pain the connection is professionally well understood: an unfavourable bite position and grinding at night can overload the jaw muscles and irritate the trigeminal nerve, the main nerve for head and facial pain. Whether this applies to you can only be shown by an examination. The CMD self-test gives a first assessment.
How can I tell that my jaw system might be involved?
What is typically described is a headache that is worst in the morning, together with jaw clicking or teeth grinding, tender temple and cheek muscles and persistent neck tension – with unremarkable neurological findings. Several of these points together are a reason to have the jaw system examined as well.
Do I have to stop my migraine medication?
No. We work as a complement to your neurological care, not in place of it. Only your neurologist decides on changes to your medication.
When are headaches dangerous?
With a sudden, very severe headache, with fever and a stiff neck, with visual, speech or paralysis symptoms, and with a headache after a fall: have it assessed immediately by a doctor or neurologist, not through CMD diagnostics.
Is it coming from the jaw system? Take the self-test
Without obligation – with an initial assessment straight away.
Other patterns of complaints
CMD rarely shows itself in just one place. Do you recognise yourself here?