Orofacial Pain and Temporomandibular Disorders
Headaches
What is it?
A headache is the broad descriptive name given to a pain in the head. There are many different types of headaches – in fact the International Classification of Headache Disorders outlines over 80 different headache categories. At Perth Oral Medicine we specialise in helping diagnose and treat your specific headache disorder.
Sign or Symptoms
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Dull aching pain or pressure in the head that varies throughout the day
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Headaches attributed to TMD are often worse on waking or at the end of the day.
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Visual disturbances
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Nausea
Causes
A person’s headache may be caused by a single thing such as clenching or may be more complex and multifactorial.
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Sleep
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Stress and tension
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Posture
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Genetic predisposition
Diagnosis
A thorough medical history and clinical examination is required to help ascertain a diagnosis. Additional tests such as MRIs or CT scans may be needed as well. Occasionally the input of a neurologist is required to help establish a definitive diagnosis of a patient’s headache disorder.
Treatment
At Perth Oral Medicine treatment is tailored to patients cause. Treatment options include
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Conservative therapy such as sleep hygiene and a tailored home exercise program
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Occlusal appliance therapy
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Injectable therapy such as Botox, trigger point injections or nerve blocks .
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Physiotherapy is also available at POMDS and Low-Level Laser Therapy can also aid in the treatment of headaches.
Recovery
Most patients experience sustained relief following treatment for their headaches. It is likely however that the cause of a patient headache may reoccur and symptoms that require active treatment may re-emerge.