Do you get constant, chronic headaches? Do you wake up with headaches that ruin your entire day? Have you been told that these headaches are caused by your sinuses or from migraines? Are you tired of taking medication which provides only temporary relief? Did you know that a simple bite appliance provided by your dentist can resolve many of these problems? Read on.
True, you may indeed suffer from sinus headaches or migraines, but did you know that many of these types of headaches are really TENSION headaches.
Many people just call their headaches migraines for no better term to call them because the pain is usually in the same location on the head, namely the temporal region (at the side of one's head lateral to the eyes).
It's even possible to have both types of headaches at the same time; tension headaches can make a true migraine worse or maybe even trigger a true migraine.
Stress often exhibits itself through the CLENCHING (also known as gnashing) or GRINDING of the teeth (both referred to as parafunctional habits).
Children often grind their teeth, but not usually due to stress as to a change in dentition from baby to adult teeth.
Adults mostly CLENCH rather than grind their teeth; this is mostly due to STRESS.
Just watch your friends, work associates, actors, athletes.
You can see often see their masseter (jaw) muscles flex like little pumps.
If a person clenches his teeth during the day he frequently does it even more at night and usually with much more intensity; in fact one can do it so hard that it can wake you up suddenly during the night and often result in a nice headache upon wakening.
It can disrupt your REM sleep.
Clenching can contribute not only to headaches, but can exacerbate Periodontal Disease.
If your dentist tells you that you have periodontal disease, the severity of the breakdown can often be attributed to these parafunctional habits.
Chronic gum chewing can mimic severe tooth clenching.
Can chronic gum-chewing be injurious to your dental health and over all well-being? Quite possibly.
Since it is well- known that the muscles of mastication, namely the masseter and temporalis muscles are able to exert up to 500 lbs/sq in onto the molar teeth thus ripping apart any gum that you may be chewing you can then understand the physiologic mechanisms as described below.
Several things happen during this masticatory action: 1.
Drainage of blood from the brain to the above muscles (maybe as much as 10 cc's) causing a brief lapse in consciousness or the inability to fully concentrate; the fact that you may not even know you are "chewing" is indeed proof of this lapse in consciousness.
A realistic example: Do chin ups or do curls with 20 pound weights and try to read a textbook at the same time 2.
Lactic acid and CO2 can build up in the muscles; pain and headaches can result; 3.
Concurrently, the brain also releases endorphins which can give you a feel-good sensation; this is why it's difficult to stop chewing (like drug addiction).
It is a vicious cycle.
Finally, but maybe the most important fact: While sleeping your brain still wants you to chew (even without the presence of gum); this can result in a very poor quality of sleep and sometimes resultant headaches upon wakening.
This lack of sleep will of course affect your overall performance for the next day.
This is a very, very common phenomenon or dysfunction and may perhaps be the most prevalent phenomenon in our society today.
In conclusion, theoretically you should be able to perform better without chewing gum thus increasing your ability to concentrate.
You may be doing okay now, but will do better not chewing at all.
If you have to chew, only do so for 20 minute intervals.
The sudden cessation of chewing gum is like stopping smoking (drug addiction), but after a while (several months) performance and well-being should be back to normal.
What can be done to resolve this unnecessary pain? IF your pain is properly diagnosed, many dentists make a device called a nightguard.
This appliance is useful in many cases, but does not always eliminate the headaches.
The main complaint of a nightguard is that it is too big, too thick and very uncomfortable to wear.
A MAO APPLIANCE (designed and made by Dr Mao) however, is much more comfortable and actually induces neuromuscular relaxation.
In fact, it is only about one- third the size of a nightguard and can barely be seen.
It fits behind the upper teeth and is as thin as a wafer.
Because it induces muscular relaxation, it will reduce or completely eliminate the pain (headaches) caused by clenching or grinding.
This appliance will also help reduce periodontal breakdown by preventing one's teeth from contacting.