Headaches and Your Bite

by Adriana Jaramillo DDS & Carlos A Jaramillo IV

Your mouth is a complex system made of many parts. These various parts must work in harmony. When one part is not working well, the others must compensate. This often creates secondary problems.

The alignment of your teeth and their position in relation to your jaw joint and its movements have an important impact in the stability of the joint and muscles. The powerful muscles supporting your jaw and responsible for chewing are anchored on the skull. Thus, problems in the mouth can result in substantial pain throughout the head and neck.

In order to diagnose the heath of your ‘bite’ or how well the mechanical aspects of chewing are working together, we will need to perform an occlusal analysis.

Chronic headaches, jaw popping, abnormal tooth wear, jaw or neck pain are among the symptoms of an unstable bite - known as occlusal disease. Occlusal disease is progressive as the misaligned forces continue to take their toll on your teeth, bones, and muscles. If you suffer from any of these symptoms be sure to tell us about them at your next visit.

Where can I find more information?

• American Academy of Periodontology:
• American Dental Association: TMJ |
• Wisconsin Dental Association:

For additional dental health resources visit our index of resources

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