SINUS HEADACHES AND YOUR TEETH
Sometimes the source of discomfort in your teeth can have nothing to do with any decay or oral disease at all, instead originating in your sinuses. Sinus congestion—whether from allergies or infection--can bring acute pressure to bear on the roots of your teeth. Any pressure on the sensitive nerves from the teeth or ligaments can cause discomfort in your mouth.
This discomfort, depending on the degree of your congestion and the intensity of the pressure, can range in severity from a vague irritation to a deep ache in the teeth of your upper jaw. Your lower jaw contains no sinuses, and therefore has no pressure exerted on it from any nasal congestion. However, if the nasal congestion is significant enough, it can create enough pressure to cause the affected upper teeth to extrude a bit. This could change your bite enough to cause soreness in your lower teeth as well. Episodes such as this are uncommon, but when they do occur the tenderness associated with the upper teeth is usually considerably greater than that of the lowers. Pain in the upper jaw may extend from the teeth clear up to the eyes or temples, and across the cheeks over to the ears.
Except for experiencing these pressure-related symptoms, you may be unaware that you have a sinus problem, especially if the congestion in your sinuses is so thick that your nose doesn't run and you have no post-nasal drip. A dental x-ray can show congestion in those portions of your sinuses that involve your upper teeth, but it cannot be used to definitively diagnose the underlying problem. Consultation with your physician will determine the source of the congestion and the appropriate treatment.
It is also possible to have a dental problem and a sinus problem superimposed on each other. If medical treatment has cleared your sinuses, but some of your oral symptoms persist, please return to our office for reevaluation.