Literally millions of people all over the world suffer daily from what are commonly referred to as "Migraine Headaches", of unknown etiology, meaning they can't find out what causes them.  The most frustrating part of this is that very often, these incapacitating headaches can be cured, or at the very least alleviated, and kept under control... but aren't...and all because a very common, but often overlooked possibility was never checked out.

Over the 28 years that I have been in practice as a dentist, I have literally treated thousands of patients, (some of their thank-you letters are enclosed), who had sought relief from their headaches, but to no avail. They had traveled to headache clinics, spent thousands of dollars on cures that didn't work, and suffered with blinding, incapacitating headaches for many, many years. In most cases, no one had ever checked them for signs of a particular dental habit called bruxism, ( grinding, and clenching the teeth), which overworks the muscles of the head, neck, and face to the degree that they go into spasm, ( like a muscle cramp), thereby closing down on the blood vessels inside of the muscles, restricting the blood flow, and leading to the terrible pounding headaches they experience.

When most patients who get these type of headaches, wake up in the morning with pain, and stiffness in their neck, and shoulders, they would never in a million years mention it to their dentist...and why would they? What would make them ever think that pains in their neck should be something to tell their dentist? How would they know? If they tell anyone, they tell their physician, who usually tells them they're too nervous, and maybe gives them some pills, or tells them to get a neck pillow, or something like that. Unfortunately, most physicians are not aware of what goes on inside the mouth, relating to the jaws, muscles, and TMJ (tempero-mandibular joint).

More often than not, the patients tell themselves that the neck pain and tightness, they feel every morning, (which is really like a "Charley Horse," from their facial and neck muscles being overworked), is due to the fact that either their pillow is no good, or their mattress is at fault, or that they slept in a funny position;  in other words, they make up an excuse that makes sense to them. How could they possibly know that pain in their neck and shoulders, or having a headache on awakening, is caused by something they're doing with their teeth in their sleep?

Other symptoms can be ear pain, light-headedness, dizziness or vertigo, tightness in the jaws upon awakening, looseness of teeth, constantly breaking fillings, loosening so-called "permanent bridges," clicking in the jaw when opening wide and closing, chipping of the edges of the teeth, soreness of certain teeth when you chew on them, as well as soreness of the bones in the back of your head, near your neck, and constant fatigue, even after getting a good night's sleep. Some people exhibit many of these symptoms, but you only need to have just one of them, for you to be diagnosed as having this habit that leads to severe, or migraine-type headaches.