Symptom · head and face
Migraine-like headaches: when the trigger lies in the jaw system.
Painkillers, neurology, imaging, and the headache keeps coming back? For head and facial pain, the connection with the jaw system is well understood.
First, and more important than anything else: With a sudden, very severe headache, fever with a stiff neck, visual or speech disturbances, paralysis, or a headache after a fall, you need immediately a medical or neurological assessment, not CMD diagnostics. The jaw system only becomes a sensible topic once serious causes have been ruled out.
How patients recognise the jaw system
A headache is a symptom, not a diagnosis. It can come from the head itself, from the neck, from sleep habits, or from the jaw system. What we see 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 strongest in the morning after waking and eases during 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.
- Worse with stress, after long dental treatments or after strenuous chewing.
- The jaw clicks or grates, and the temple and cheek muscles are tender to pressure.
- Plus stubborn neck and shoulder tension.
Why the jaw system can cause headaches
The large temporal muscle is one of the masticatory muscles, and it lies exactly where many people feel their headache. If the bite is unfavourable or you clench and grind at night, these muscles work against resistance for hours without rest. The tension can spread via muscle chains into the temples, forehead, back of the head and base of the neck.
In addition there is the trigeminal nerve. It is the main nerve for head and facial pain and also supplies the jaw joint and masticatory muscles. If this area is under constant strain, the nerve can be irritated and report the pain where you feel it: in the head, not the jaw. That is why with CMD we don’t speak of a broken part, but of a reflex, nerve-driven misregulation: the system responds incorrectly, not a single component.
Why nobody has thought of it so far
Neurological assessment and imaging then often find “everything unremarkable”. That is not negligence and no criticism of your previous practitioners. Neurology and general practice work carefully, and an unremarkable finding rules out exactly what would be dangerous: important and good news. It is just that nobody there measures the bite, because it does not belong to that specialty. The interplay between specialties is rarely looked at as a whole. Why that is →
What comes into question if the jaw system is involved
Once a doctor has ruled out serious causes and there are also jaw and neck complaints, the jaw system can be measured instead of guessed at. The CMD System Check measures, among other things, how your bite is positioned, how hard your masticatory muscles work and with what force your teeth meet.
If the jaw muscles are overloaded, an individually made, removable splint can relieve them. Physiotherapy for the jaw and neck and stress reduction are useful alongside. Whether and how much your headaches change as a result varies from person to person and cannot be predicted.
Important: We work alongside with your neurological care, not instead of it. Please discuss changes to your medication with your neurologist, not with us.
The first step involves no obligation: the CMD self-test in two minutes, or an initial phone consultation.
What you can already check yourself
Before you think about the jaw system, it is worth looking at the common triggers: sleep rhythm, fluid intake, posture at the screen, stress and the use of painkillers. And one question that is almost always overlooked: are your glasses or contact lenses currently fitted correctly? More in the Guide.
Can migraine-like headaches really come from the jaw?
For head and facial pain, the connection is 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. Only an examination shows whether this applies to you. The CMD self-test gives a first assessment.
How can I tell whether my jaw system might be involved?
A typical description is a headache that is strongest 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 alongside your neurological care, not instead of it. Only your neurologist decides on changes to your medication.
When are headaches dangerous?
With a sudden, very severe headache, fever with a stiff neck, visual or speech disturbances, paralysis, or a headache after a fall: see a doctor or neurologist immediately, not CMD diagnostics.
Does it come from the jaw system? Take the self-test
No obligation, with an immediate first assessment.
Read more
- SymptomTinnitus & dizzinessWhen the ear and balance are affected.Learn more
- GuideTeeth grinding (bruxism)What grinding at night has to do with headaches.Read article
- DiagnosticsThe CMD System CheckHow we measure instead of guessing.Learn more
More symptoms. CMD rarely shows itself in just one place. Do you recognise yourself here?