Wisdom teeth develop last, after all the other teeth have fully developed and occupied every available space on the gums. It is not uncommon to experience severe pain and, sometimes, an infection when wisdom teeth begin to develop. Due to the limited space available for them to fully erupt, wisdom teeth can become impacted, causing you great pain and soreness, both of which can cause a migraine. Sadly, wisdom teeth are often overlooked as a source of migraines. The truth is, they can make TMJ disorders worse, cause muscle strain, and cause constant nerve irritation that can trigger a migraine.

How Wisdom Teeth Trigger Headaches

When your wisdom teeth become impacted due to limited space in the gums, they can cause significant pain. You do not experience this pain in the affected part of your mouth. The pain can result in a debilitating migraine or nagging headache because of different factors. These factors create a different type of pain, with distinct symptoms. Understanding the patterns and how the symptoms can result in a migraine is critical in finding a proper diagnosis and treatment.

Impacted Tooth and Nerve Pressure

Before a tooth fully erupts through the gum, it first develops beneath the gum. Since wisdom teeth are usually the last to develop, after all other teeth have settled into the gums, they may not fully erupt like other teeth. A wisdom tooth can become impacted, meaning that it does not fully erupt like a normal tooth. Part of it can erupt, leaving the other part stuck below the gum.

An impacted tooth can grow into an adjacent tooth, become trapped beneath the gum, or push against other teeth’s roots as it finds its way out of the gum. The constant pressure will likely irritate your trigeminal nerve, a critical nerve that sends signals to your brain.

Nerve pressure or compression can cause numbness, tingling, weakness, and pain. You experience a burning, stabbing sensation, which is sometimes referred to as an electric-shock sensation. When an impacted tooth involves a critical nerve, the resulting symptoms can include a severe headache or a debilitating migraine. There is usually a persistent ache behind the eyes or in the temples that does not respond to common headache treatments. This kind of headache is usually one-sided (usually the affected side), deep, localized, and consistently uncomfortable.

Impacted Teeth and Muscle Strain

An impacted tooth can displace some of your already developed teeth, changing your teeth’s appearance and bite. If there is not enough space for the developing wisdom tooth to fully erupt, it may affect the alignment of your back teeth. A bad bite causes your TMJ muscles to overwork every time you bite, chew, or speak, straining your muscles and putting you at a greater risk of TMJ disorders.

If an impacted tooth causes muscle strain, you will likely experience pain or tension that radiates or spreads to the jaw or in your temples and cheeks. The pain should intensify whenever your muscles move, especially when yawning, chewing, biting, speaking, or laughing.

A TMJ disorder or jaw muscle strain will also likely result in a morning headache. When your bite becomes misaligned, you may develop bruxism, or an unconscious habit of grinding or clenching your teeth at night. This causes you to wake up with a strong headache, which is a very common symptom of a TMJ disorder. A tension headache like this is, in most cases, dental-related. If other pain remedies do not produce the desired results, it may be time to visit your dentist’s office for a proper diagnosis and treatment.

Impacted teeth, infections, or Cysts

An impacted or partially erupted tooth will have a flap, or a small covering of gum tissue. The gum forms a perfect trap for food and debris, which encourages the growth of harmful bacteria. Since the area is usually painful and sore, you are unable to keep it clean while brushing the other teeth. The trapped food encourages the growth of dangerous bacteria, which can eventually lead to pericoronitis, a local infection.

Pericoronitis is very painful and causes severe headaches. Before the infection, the affected area may swell and become inflamed, creating pressure that causes a throbbing pain that radiates to your neck, ear, and head. The infection will also cause a constant bad odor or taste in the mouth, indicating an underlying oral infection. You may also notice a cyst forming around the affected tooth, which may also increase pressure on your nerves and jawbone.

Basically, inflammation of the gum tissue around the impacted wisdom tooth puts intense strain on the jaw muscles, resulting in headaches and migraines. The infection's pain also radiates, causing tension headaches. The underlying infection must be treated to relieve you of the associated headaches.

Impacted Teeth and Sinus Pressure

If the impacted wisdom tooth is in the upper jaw, it could cause sinus pressure, which may also be the cause of your constant headaches or migraines. The upper wisdom tooth is usually directly below the maxillary sinuses. When it develops and erupts, its roots may put pressure on the sinus floor, causing inflammation and a headache-like sensation.

If this is the cause of your migraine, you will experience a constant dull headache, mainly behind the eyes, in the cheeks, or across the forehead. This should be a cause for concern, mainly if you do not have any allergy or cold symptoms. If you take sinus medication and do not experience relief from pain and headaches, the problem could be because of your developing wisdom teeth.

How to Be Sure That It Is a Dental-Related Migraine

Headaches and migraines are usually common symptoms of a wide range of medical issues, including dental problems. Thus, it is difficult to know for sure if the migraine you are experiencing is dental-related. However, this knowledge is critical in finding the right treatment on time. Fortunately, dentists know a way to differentiate between a regular migraine and one caused by an impacted tooth. Sometimes, a regular migraine comes with nausea, visual auras, or light sensitivity, while a dental-related migraine feels like there is a physical issue with your jaw.

If the headache you feel is due to an impacted tooth, you will likely experience other symptoms, especially around your jaw, mouth, and face. Here are some red flags you should discuss with a skilled dentist when you visit their office for proper diagnosis and treatment:

Pain That Intensifies With Jaw Movement

If your headache worsens when you move your jaw, it is likely related to your impacted wisdom tooth. This can happen when you chew, yawn, or talk. The dentist will ask you to perform some jaw movements to see how you react to the pain. If the pain increases when you open and close your mouth, it is likely linked to pressure in the jaw or muscle strain. This will help the dentist make an accurate diagnosis and recommend appropriate treatment.

Pain Accompanied by Soreness or Jaw Stiffness

If you have a migraine and at the same time your jaw or gum feels sore, or have jaw stiffness as well, the migraine could be related to your impacted wisdom tooth. Jaw stiffness is mostly experienced in the morning. It feels tight and painful, and usually on one side of your face. This could be due to a bad bite, which is a common problem with impacted wisdom teeth.

Pain and Gum Swelling

If, after experiencing pain, you look in a mirror and notice swelling or redness where your wisdom teeth are developing, the pain is likely linked to their development. A simple look in a mirror can show tenderness, puffiness, or swelling in the gums behind the last molar. This is a direct indication of an infected or impacted tooth.

There is a Bad Odor or Taste in the Mouth

Remember that an impacted tooth can also cause an oral infection by trapping harmful bacteria. In addition to pain, chills, and soreness or redness in the affected area, you may notice a bad odor or taste in the mouth. If the odor or taste persists and brushing does not resolve it, there may be an infection in the area where your wisdom tooth is partially erupted. This requires immediate treatment because oral infection can quickly spread to the rest of your body, seriously affecting your general health.

Diagnosis and Treatment for Dental Migraine

A dental-related migraine requires proper diagnosis and treatment, which should focus on the underlying dental issue. The dentist must first understand your symptoms to determine their cause for effective diagnosis and treatment. They will also conduct an in-depth examination of your teeth and gums to determine the cause of your migraine. If your migraine is related to your developing wisdom teeth, your dentist will recommend treatment based on the specific issue and its severity.

The Diagnosis

Diagnosis helps a dentist understand what is happening with your wisdom teeth, especially beneath the gumline. It starts with a physical examination, followed by an X-ray. An X-ray exam shows the exact angle and position of your developing wisdom tooth, and the general health of all your teeth. These are some of the headache triggers that the dentist will look out for during this exam:

  • If the developing wisdom tooth is impacted, if it is just stuck or developing sideways, and it is putting pressure on the adjacent molars.
  • The proximity of the impacted tooth to critical nerves, such as the trigeminal nerve. If the tooth is close to this nerve and you put direct pressure on it, that may explain your migraine.
  • Whether there are signs of an infection around the impacted wisdom tooth, including redness, soreness, or a developing cyst.
  • If there is sinus movement, especially if the developing wisdom teeth are in your upper jaw. Sinus movement will happen if the roots of the wisdom teeth push against your sinus cavity, which could be the cause of your jaw pain that feels like a sinus headache.

A detailed examination will rule out other possible causes of your migraine, allowing your dentist to focus on the likely culprit, which is your impacted wisdom tooth.

The Treatment

If your dentist confirms that your developing wisdom tooth is causing your migraine, they will quickly develop a treatment plan to address your symptoms and the problem for good. In most cases, the best solution to an impacted tooth is extraction. When the troubling tooth is removed, you will no longer have the source of your inflammation and pressure. Some patients are actually amazed at how fast the persistent migraine disappears after extraction.

However, tooth extraction is not as easy as it sounds. The removal of an impacted tooth is usually done surgically, which can be very intimidating. However, a skilled dentist will consider your comfort by ensuring you understand the treatment process beforehand. There are also other options, such as sedation, which keep you relaxed throughout such procedures.

The goal is to choose an experienced dentist who has treated impacted wisdom teeth. You can get a referral from family members or friends who have experienced the same or a similar issue. Also, a quick online search for a reliable dentist near you can help you find a good dentist for your treatment.

Find a Competent Dentist Near Me

If your developing wisdom teeth are causing you problems like migraines, a skilled dentist will recommend a treatment that will deal with the problem for good. Surgically extracting an impacted tooth will save you from dental issues that could cause you endless migraines and other health-related issues like infections.

At Northridge Advanced Dentistry, we know for sure that a wisdom tooth can cause a migraine. We can examine your developing teeth to explain exactly how they are causing your pain and the right solution. We also offer a wide range of other dental and oral solutions for your entire family’s excellent oral and general health. Call us at 818-701-3010 to schedule a thorough examination of your teeth and gums with our competent dentists in Northridge.