Understanding Neuropathic Pain & Headaches: How They Affect Dentistry and TMD

More than just dental and TMD-related conditions can cause pain in the jaw. Neuropathic pain (pain caused by damage or dysfunction of the nerves themselves) can occur following routine dental procedures, can be a result of a patient’s genetics, can occur spontaneously or can present in an emergency patient complaining of dental pain. Likewise, many headaches look like TMDs, and some TMDs are actually a manifestation of an undiagnosed headache. Not recognizing them as such can result in what feels like a frustratingly difficult TMD. Dentists who can recognize these occurrences can refer their patients effectively to the right medical specialists. You Will Learn - How to recognize neuropathic conditions, particularly those that look like dental pain - How to avoid causing neuropathic pain and manage it when it occurs - How to differentiate the more deceptive headaches from TMD