Ask the Dental Experts
Our philosophy is to help our patients achieve and maintain exceptional dental health. We work hard to make sure that our level of care is deserving of our patients’ respect and confidence. Our tradition of preventive dentistry is the basis for all service and care in our practice. We welcome all questions and comments regarding dentistry in the hope that we increase your dental "IQ" and help you make better dental health decisions.Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Morning Tooth Pain
Q: I frequently suffer from headaches and facial pain, which usually occurs after I wake up. It feels like I have been clenching my teeth. What should I do?
A: The first thing to do is to contact your dentist or you can give us a call at 888.790.0309. What you are most likely experiencing is myo-fascial pain. This is a term that is used to describe head and neck pain that is usually associated with headaches. A lot of individuals suffer from it, some more than others. Its occurrence and severity can vary. Stress plays a major role in it. We find that after a thorough work up most patients will benefit from splint therapy. This is a custom made mouthpiece that a patient wears that helps put their head and neck muscles in a neutral position, which in turn reduces the headaches and facial pain. Once we have established the neutral (relaxed) position of your muscles then most patients wear the splint for 4 to 6 months. After that time then a decision can be made on what direction to take for a long-term solution to the problem. Please call our offices at 888.790.0309 to discuss this problem further.
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