Where is your headache?
Tap the spot on the drawing where your headache usually is, and you get a short answer in plain words.
Every spot, and what it can mean
Forehead
A forehead headache is usually not from your jaw muscles.
You usually feel a headache from the jaw at the temple, in front of the ear, or over the jaw muscle. The forehead is not one of those places, so a headache there usually has another cause.
Talk to your doctor about it. If you also clench your teeth or wake up with a sore jaw, mention that at your dental visit.
Source: ICHD-3, entry 11.7, Headache attributed to temporomandibular disorder (opens in a new tab). It says a headache from the jaw is usually most prominent at the temple, in front of the ear, or over the masseter muscle.
Behind the eye
Pain behind the eye is usually not from your jaw muscles.
You usually feel a headache from the jaw at the temple, in front of the ear, or over the jaw muscle. The area behind the eye is not one of those places, so a headache there usually has another cause.
Talk to your doctor about it. If you also clench your teeth or wake up with a sore jaw, mention that at your dental visit.
Source: ICHD-3, entry 11.7, Headache attributed to temporomandibular disorder (opens in a new tab). It says a headache from the jaw is usually most prominent at the temple, in front of the ear, or over the masseter muscle.
Temple
Your temple sits over a jaw muscle.
The temporalis is one of the two muscles that close your jaw, and it fans out across your temple.
A headache here can come from the jaw. That is more likely if you have it when you wake up, or if it gets worse when you chew or clench.
Try this
Rest your fingertips on your temple and clench your teeth. Feel the muscle tighten under your fingers. This only helps you find the muscle, and it is not a test.
At your next visit, you can ask us to check your jaw muscles, and it takes about a minute.
Source: ICHD-3, entry 11.7, Headache attributed to temporomandibular disorder (opens in a new tab). It says a headache from the jaw is usually most prominent at the temple, in front of the ear, or over the masseter muscle. One sign it lists is a headache that a clinician sets off by pressing on the temporalis muscle.
In front of the ear, jaw corner
The corner of your jaw sits over a jaw muscle.
The masseter is one of the two muscles that close your jaw, and it runs from your cheekbone to the corner of your jaw.
A headache here can come from the jaw. That is more likely if you have it when you wake up, or if it gets worse when you chew or clench.
Try this
Rest your fingertips on the corner of your jaw, just in front of your ear, and clench your teeth. Feel the muscle tighten under your fingers. This only helps you find the muscle, and it is not a test.
At your next visit, you can ask us to check your jaw muscles, and it takes about a minute.
Source: ICHD-3, entry 11.7, Headache attributed to temporomandibular disorder (opens in a new tab). It says a headache from the jaw is usually most prominent at the temple, in front of the ear, or over the masseter muscle.
Back of the head or neck
Pain at the back of your head or neck is usually not from your jaw muscles.
You usually feel a headache from the jaw at the temple, in front of the ear, or over the jaw muscle. The back of the head and the neck are not those places, so a headache there usually has another cause.
Talk to your doctor about it. If you also clench your teeth or wake up with a sore jaw, mention that at your dental visit.
Source: ICHD-3, entry 11.7, Headache attributed to temporomandibular disorder (opens in a new tab). It says a headache from the jaw is usually most prominent at the temple, in front of the ear, or over the masseter muscle.
A headache can have a lot of causes. If yours is new, sudden or getting worse, see your doctor first.
Questions about your jaw?
You can read about jaw care at our office, or call us at (702) 732-3754.