Headaches & TMD

However, the key to headaches and TMD treatment depends first on a proper diagnosis. For example, sleep, breathing, head posture and tongue posture also have considerable effects on muscle pain and activity. One study demonstrated that children who primarily breathe through their mouths have a forward head posture. After removal of tonsils to create airway space and enable nasal breathing the head posture corrected significantly. This makes sense because in order to breathe through the mouth the tongue has to be low in the mouth and takes up more space in the throat. Moving the head forward helps to open the airway for maximum airflow. The consequences can be serious over time. When the mouth is open the tongue cannot be between the arches of the teeth. This causes the arches to collapse and crowding results. This leaves even less room for the tongue and creates a bigger problem. Also, the muscles of the neck and shoulders have to work overtime to hold the head up when it is not centered over the body. This is by no means the only reason people get headaches, but is a good example of one common problem.