Pain is the body’s way of conveying that something wrong is happening and needs attention. Pain is never really straightforward and is caused due to inflammation. It can be physical, emotional or physiological and helps in eliminating the foreign bodies or infections by activating the immune system. But if chronic, the inflamed areas will take longer time to heal causing chronic pain.
Some people suffer from chronic neck pain or back pain while others suffer occasionally but not everyone knows that tooth related problems can also cause headache or backache. If there is chronic back pain but cannot determine the reason then the underlying cause can be a dental problem. This is known as referred pain i.e. pain perceived at an area other than the site of origin. The more stressed and inflamed the body becomes, the longer it will prevail and take time to heal.
Teeth contains interconnecting sensory nerve fibers and nerve endings which help in sending signals up and down the spinal cord. So, when there is toothache or cavities, it can affect the structures below like the neck, back, etc causing pain and can radiate to the entire face or skull.
Referred pain can also be due to the muscle interaction with one another. A common example is jaw disorder (TMJ) and back pain. Patients with TMJ problems often complain of backache because when the jaw is out of alignment it causes the muscles of the neck, shoulders and back to stress by exerting extra force but when these muscles wear, the surrounding areas can pain.
The jaws are to be aligned correctly to achieve proper phonation and masticatory function but in case of malocclusion, these functions get compromised and can change the position of the skull. Realignment of the dental arches is required to solve the dental problems and reduce the stress on the neck and back muscles thereby restoring the overall health.
If the body is not properly aligned and the head moves forward in front of the shoulder joint like when staring at a computer, the jaw, neck and shoulder muscles overstress to hold the head upright and can result in pain, locking, stiffness and over time temporomandibular joint dysfunction or TMD. So, maintaining a good posture is required to prevent back pain.
Back pain can also be from poor diet, poor dental health, incorrect breathing patterns, etc. So, eating organic food, maintaining good oral care, breathing correctly (nasal breathing), etc can reduce the amount of stress and inflammation leading to back pain. Besides, moving and stretching body, visiting a chiropractor or acupuncturist or physiotherapist, etc can also help in healing back pain.
As mouth (tooth) is in close proximity to the brain, in case of tooth infections the infection need not travel too far to affect the brain. Tooth infection is not to be taken lightly and is better treated than leaving untreated. Besides, it is important to identify the cause of pain and help in making proper diagnoses. Mostly, a toothache means time to visit a dentist but it is always better to know what else it can be.
