Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsToothaches and MigrainesReferred PainUnderlying ConditionsWhen to See a ProviderPain Management
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Toothaches and Migraines
Referred Pain
Underlying Conditions
When to See a Provider
Pain Management
Atoothachecan sometimes cause a headache, but not always for the same reasons. It can happen due to an irritated nerve, called thetrigeminalnerve, that provides sensations in your face. Sometimes you can have both a toothache and headache on one side due to an underlying medical condition, such as a sinus infection ortemporomandibularjoint dysfunction(TMJ or TMD).
This article describes some possible toothache/headache connections, as well as what you should know if you experience both symptoms together.
There are many reasons why a tooth might hurt, including cavities,cracks, and impaction (when a tooth doesn’t fully come up out of the gums). If these conditions are left untreated, a person can even get amigraine.
Migraines are throbbing and usually one-sided headaches. The pain can also come along withother symptomslike nausea, vomiting, and/or sensitivity to light or sound.
Verywell / Ellen Lindner
Experts believe that the connection between toothaches and migraines is thetrigeminal nerve. Thiscranial nervecontrols facial and eye movements and sensations. It provides feeling to most of your face, including your upper and lower lip, teeth, and gums.
The trigeminal nerve is thought to play a significant role in the development of migraines.In this case, pain from the toothache may irritate the nerve and set off a migraine.
Learn to Recognize Your Migraine Triggers
Referred Tooth Pain to Your Head
In addition to a toothache triggering a migraine,tooth decayor advancedgum diseasecan refer pain to the head.
Referred pain means that you feel a painful sensation in a part of the body that is different than the one where the pain is actually being caused. It’s related to the many nerve connections (via the trigeminal nerve) that connect the teeth and other facial structures to the brain.
It’s common for a person to go see their healthcare provider fortension-type headachesor migraines when they actually have a dental problem.
Tooth decay and gum disease both stem from the buildup of bacteria in your teeth, typically as a result of poor brushing and flossing habits. Left untreated, tooth decay can lead to cavities and infected tooth abscesses.
Signs of tooth infection include:
How to Describe the Different Kinds of Pain
Underlying Conditions Causing Toothache and Headache
There are some conditions that can cause both a headache and toothache, but are not actually related to a dental or headache disorder.
Teeth Grinding (Bruxism)
One classic example of referred pain to the head isbruxism, a condition where a person routinely clenches or grinds their teeth. Bruxism often occurs at night.
What Is Bruxism?
Sinus Infection
Asinus infectioncan cause discomfort in one or several teeth, especially in your upper teeth located below themaxillarysinus (behind your cheekbones).
Another common symptom of a sinus infection is a sinus headache that gets worse when you bend forward.
Other signs and symptoms of sinus infection include:
How a Sinus Infection Is Diagnosed
Temporomandibular Joint Disorder
Thetemporomandibularjoints are two joints that connect your mandible (lower jaw) to your skull. The two joints work together with jaw muscles to move your mandible up and down, allowing you to chew, yawn, talk, and swallow.
Temporomandibular joint disorder occurs when the mandible and jaw muscles or ligaments become misaligned or do not move in-synch. This misalignment can occur for several reasons, including bruxism or trauma to the jaw.
8 Things That Make TMJ Worse
Trigeminal Neuralgia
Trigeminal neuralgiais a pain disorder resulting from compression or damage of the trigeminal nerve. This disorder causes sudden attacks of excruciating, stabbing, or shock-like facial pain that almost always occurs on one side of the face only.
In many cases, the pain is felt along the upper or lower jaw. People often see their dentist before their healthcare provider because they think they have anabscessed tooth. In fact, it’s not uncommon for a person to have one or more unnecessaryroot canalsor tooth extractions before receiving a diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia.
What Is Trigeminal Neuralgia?
Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis
It’s rare, but an untreated dental problem can cause a serious, potentially life-threatening condition calledcavernous sinus thrombosis. This means there is ablood clotin a space in the brain behind the eye (cavernous sinus). The clot happens when an infection in the face or head spreads to the brain.
A main symptom of the condition is a severe headache that’s usually behind the eye or at the forehead.In addition to a severe headache, other symptoms of cavernous sinus thrombosis include:
Blood Clot in Brain: Survival, Treatment, Post-Op
When to See Your Healthcare Provider
If you experience a new, persistent toothache and/or headache, see your dentist or healthcare provider. Figuring out the underlying cause can be tricky, but it’s important that you get the right diagnosis so you can get the right treatment.
If you’ve had dental procedures for toothaches but they haven’t helped, talk to your healthcare provider about seeing a healthcare professional who specializes in headaches,nerve conditions, or ear, nose, and throat issues.
Do You Need to See a Headache Specialist?
How to Manage a Toothache and Headache
If you have tooth pain and headaches at the same time, it might take time and seeing more than one kind of provider before you get answers. It’s important to keep working toward the right diagnosis so you can get the right treatment for the cause of your pain.
It might be that all you need is to get a cavity filled, take an antibiotic for a sinus infection, or start wearing a mouthguard at night to keep from grinding your teeth. If the problem is more complex, you may need to see a specialist. And the sooner you see one, the better.
While you wait for an appointment with your healthcare provider or dentist, you can use over-the-counter (OTC) medications to relieve toothache and headache pain. Research shows thatibuprofenand othernon-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) medicationsare better at easing dental pain than opioids.
Summary
Headaches and toothaches can be related. For example, a toothache can trigger a migraine, or a dental condition like bruxism can cause referred pain in your head.
Some conditions that can cause such pain, like sinus infections, are not related to a dental or primary headache disorder. Working with your healthcare provider is key to determining the underlying cause and source of your pain—and getting the right treatment.
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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Little RE, Long CM, Loehrl TA, Poetker DM.Odontogenic sinusitis: a review of the current literature.Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol. 2018;3(2):110-114. doi:10.1002/lio2.147
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