27/11/2025
Your headaches may be coming from your teeth.
Tooth pain and headaches are more closely linked than many realize, thanks to the trigeminal nerve—a powerful cranial nerve that connects the teeth, jaw, and much of the face to the brain.
This nerve has three major branches that reach the upper and lower teeth, the jaw, cheeks, forehead, and even the temples.
Because these regions all share the same neural pathway, pain from one area, such as an inflamed tooth, can be "referred" to others, making it feel like a headache or facial discomfort.
This overlap can confuse the brain’s pain-processing centers, which sometimes struggle to distinguish the original source of the discomfort. As a result, a person experiencing a dental issue like a cavity, abscess, or impacted tooth might actually feel pain in their head or face rather than directly in the tooth. This neurological connection is why dentists and neurologists often work together when patients present with chronic or unexplained facial pain.
Source: Okeson, J. P., & de Leeuw, R. (2011). Differential diagnosis of temporomandibular disorders and other orofacial pain disorders. Dental Clinics of North America, 55(1), 105–120.
