Key takeaways
Tooth pain and headaches can be surprisingly connected. Here’s what you'll learn more about in this article:
- A toothache can sometimes cause pain that travels into your face or head.
- The trigeminal nerve helps explain why dental pain may be felt beyond the problem tooth.
- Cavities, tooth infections, wisdom teeth, grinding, and TMJ issues can all contribute to headaches.
- Tooth sensitivity, pain when biting, or sore or swollen gums may point to a dental cause.
- Sinus pressure can sometimes feel like a toothache, especially in your upper teeth.
- Persistent or worsening tooth pain should be evaluated by a dentist.
Your teeth and your head may be more connected than you think
A toothache is annoying enough on its own. Add a pounding temple or pressure behind your eyes, and suddenly you’re wondering whether your mouth and your head have teamed up against you.
So, can a toothache cause a headache? Yes. Dental pain and headaches can sometimes be connected because the teeth, jaw, and much of the face share closely connected nerve pathways. A problem with a tooth can create pain that seems to travel into your temple, forehead, face, or other parts of your head.
The trickier question is figuring out where the pain actually started.
The tooth-headache connection starts with a nerve
Your teeth may seem pretty far removed from your forehead, but neurologically speaking, they’re close neighbors.
The trigeminal nerve is the major nerve responsible for sensation throughout much of your face. Its branches carry sensory information from areas that include your teeth and jaws as well as parts of your face and head.
When a tooth becomes irritated, inflamed, or infected, those nerve pathways send pain signals to your brain. Sometimes your brain has trouble pinpointing exactly where those signals originated. The result can be referred pain, meaning you feel discomfort somewhere other than the actual source.
That’s one reason a dental problem can sometimes feel like a headache rather than “just” a toothache.
How to tell if a headache is from a tooth
There’s no foolproof way to diagnose the cause of a headache at home. Dental pain can overlap with migraines, sinus pressure, jaw problems, and other conditions.
But your teeth may be trying to give you a few clues.
- A headache may have a dental connection if you also notice:
- Pain or sensitivity in a particular tooth
- Pain when biting or chewing
- Sensitivity to hot or cold that lingers
- Swelling or discomfort around a tooth or your gums
- Jaw soreness, especially when you wake up
- Headaches that appear alongside clenching or grinding
- Pain that seems to radiate from your jaw or tooth toward your temple, ear, cheek, or head
If you’re experiencing a headache and tooth pain together, especially when the tooth pain is persistent or getting worse, a dental exam can help determine whether something in your mouth is contributing to the problem.
What dental problems can cause headaches?
Tooth decay, dental infections and abscesses, impacted wisdom teeth, teeth grinding, and TMJ disorders can all contribute to headaches. Depending on the cause, pain may travel from a tooth or jaw into the face, temples, forehead, or other areas of the head.
Tooth decay
Small cavities don’t always hurt. But as decay progresses deeper into a tooth and gets closer to the sensitive pulp and nerves inside, it can cause increasingly significant pain.
That pain may stay centered around the tooth, or it may radiate into nearby areas of your face and head.
A dental abscess
A dental abscess is an infection that can develop in or around a tooth. It may cause severe or persistent tooth pain, tenderness when chewing, swollen gums, or swelling around the jaw or face.
This isn’t something to wait out. An abscess needs urgent dental care to address the infection and its underlying cause.
Impacted or painful wisdom teeth
Wisdom teeth can cause pain when they don’t have enough room to erupt normally or when the surrounding tissues become inflamed. The resulting discomfort may affect your jaw and nearby areas, potentially making your whole head feel less than wonderful.
Teeth grinding and clenching
Ever wake up with a headache and wonder what happened while you were asleep? Your jaw may have been working overtime.
Bruxism, the habit of grinding or clenching your teeth, puts extra pressure on your teeth and the muscles responsible for chewing. The tension caused by these common nighttime habits can contribute to jaw soreness and headaches, particularly around the temples.
TMJ disorders
Your temporomandibular joints, or TMJs, connect your lower jaw to your skull. Problems affecting these joints and the surrounding muscles can cause jaw pain, facial discomfort, difficulty chewing, and headaches.
A TMJ headache may be accompanied by symptoms such as a sore or achy jaw, clicking or popping, or discomfort that changes when you chew or move your jaw.
Can a headache make your teeth hurt?
Here’s where things get a little complicated: the connection can sometimes work the other way around.
Pain that feels like it’s coming from your teeth doesn’t always originate there. Sinus problems, for example, can cause pressure and aching around the upper teeth and jaw. Certain headache and facial pain disorders can also produce symptoms that are easy to mistake for dental pain.
That’s why diagnosing yourself based on location alone can be tricky. If your teeth hurt but your dentist doesn’t find a dental cause, they may recommend following up with your physician or another appropriate health care provider.
What can you do for a toothache headache?
Over-the-counter pain medication may temporarily make a toothache or headache more manageable when it’s safe for you to take it. But pain relief doesn’t fix a cavity, cracked tooth, infection, or another underlying dental problem. It's more like turning down the volume than switching off the source.
If tooth pain persists, keeps returning, interferes with sleep, or is accompanied by a headache, schedule a dental visit. Your dentist can examine your teeth and gums, evaluate your bite and jaw, and use dental imaging when appropriate to look for hidden sources of your discomfort.
When tooth pain needs urgent attention
Some toothaches deserve more than a “let’s see how it feels tomorrow.” Seek prompt dental care for severe or persistent tooth pain, significant swelling, or symptoms of a dental infection. Fever or feeling generally unwell along with dental pain or swelling can indicate that it's time to book urgent or emergency dental care.
If swelling is making it difficult to breathe or swallow, seek emergency medical care immediately.
Headache or toothache? You don’t have to guess
When your tooth hurts and your head hurts, figuring out which one started the trouble isn’t always easy. And you shouldn’t have to become an expert in nerve pathways to find out.
At Tend, we can take a closer look at your teeth, gums, bite, and jaw to help determine whether there’s a dental reason behind your pain. If there is, we’ll talk you through what we find and what comes next, so you can stop guessing and start feeling better.
Toothache and headache FAQs
Still wondering whether your tooth pain and headache are connected? Here are quick answers to common questions about dental pain, headaches, tooth infections, cavities, and when it’s time to see a dentist.
-
How can you tell the difference between sinus tooth pain and a toothache?
Sinus pain often affects several upper teeth at once and may come with congestion, facial pressure, or other sinus symptoms. A dental problem is more likely to cause pain around a specific tooth, sensitivity to hot or cold, or discomfort when you bite or chew. Unfortunately, the two can feel surprisingly similar. If you’re not sure where the pain is coming from, a dental exam can help rule a tooth problem in or out.
-
Should I see a dentist or doctor for a toothache and headache?
If your headache comes with tooth pain, sensitivity, swollen or tender gums, or pain when biting, start with your dentist. They can check for cavities, infection, cracks, grinding, or other dental problems that may be contributing to your symptoms. If your teeth and jaw look healthy, your dentist may recommend seeing your physician for further evaluation.
For a sudden or severe headache, concerning neurological symptoms, or swelling that makes it difficult to breathe or swallow, seek urgent medical care.
-
Can a tooth infection cause headaches?
Yes, a tooth infection can sometimes cause a headache. An infected or abscessed tooth can trigger significant pain that travels along connected nerve pathways into the jaw, face, or head. You may also notice swelling, pain when biting or chewing, painful or swollen gums, fever, or a bad taste in your mouth. If you suspect a tooth infection, don’t wait, hoping that the pain will disappear on its own. A dentist can identify the source, treat the problem, and quickly relieve your discomfort.
-
Can a toothache cause a headache on one side?
Yes. A toothache can sometimes cause pain on the same side of your head as the problem tooth. That’s because branches of the trigeminal nerve carry sensation from your teeth, jaw, face, and other areas of your head. Your brain doesn’t always pinpoint the source perfectly, so dental pain can sometimes show up as referred pain in your temple, face, or head.
-
Can grinding your teeth cause headaches?
Yes. Teeth grinding and clenching, also known as bruxism, can overwork the muscles around your jaw and temples and contribute to headaches. This can be especially noticeable when you wake up. Morning headaches, a tired or sore jaw, tooth sensitivity, or worn and chipped teeth can all be clues that you’re grinding or clenching. Your dentist can look for signs of bruxism and help you figure out the best way to address the issue.
-
Can a cavity cause a headache?
Yes, a cavity can sometimes cause a headache, especially if decay has reached the tooth's sensitive inner layers. In some cases, cavity pain can radiate into your jaw, face, or head, but a headache by itself doesn’t necessarily mean you have a cavity. Tooth sensitivity, pain when biting, and an ongoing toothache are more common signs of cavities.
Let’s get to the root of your pain
Toothache, headache, or both? You don’t have to figure it out on your own. At Tend, our dentists will find the cause, relieve your pain, and help you feel more like smiling again.