Can TMJ cause headaches?

You wake up with a dull ache at your temples. It keeps coming back, and your jaw often feels tired or sore at the same time. If that sounds familiar, your jaw may be part of the story, because headaches and jaw problems often go together.

A headache with a jaw component gives you something concrete to work on. Below I explain how doctors recognise a jaw-related headache and how you can check at home whether your jaw is involved, including where migraine and tension-type headache fit in.

In short

Yes, TMJ disorders can cause headaches. The international headache classification lists "headache attributed to temporomandibular disorder" as its own diagnosis, usually felt at the temples and made worse by chewing or clenching (ICHD-3, 2018). Jaw problems also turn up far more often in people with migraine and tension-type headache, and for migraine the link has been shown in both directions.

• A temple headache that changes when you move your jaw, and that you can trigger by pressing the temple muscle, points strongly to your jaw.
• Physiotherapy and jaw exercises can help, although the research on headache outcomes is still small.
• A headache with jaw pain while eating, scalp tenderness or vision problems needs an urgent medical check.

Can a jaw problem really cause a headache?

The International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3) describes headache attributed to TMD as a headache caused by a disorder of the jaw joint, the chewing muscles or the structures around them. The diagnosis needs a painful problem in that region plus at least two signs linking the headache to it: it started around the same time as the jaw problem, jaw movement, chewing or clenching makes it worse, or pressing the temple muscle or moving the jaw during an exam brings it on (ICHD-3, 2018).

This headache is usually felt at the temples, on one or both sides, and often spreads to the area in front of the ear and the cheek muscles (ICHD-3, 2018). The NHS lists "a headache around your temples" among the typical symptoms of TMD (NHS), and the US National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research names headaches associated with TMD as one of three broad groups of jaw disorders (NIDCR, 2026).

The temples matter because that is where the temporalis sits, a large fan-shaped chewing muscle that runs from the side of your head down to your lower jaw.

How are TMJ, tension-type headache and migraine connected?

A headache can be caused by the jaw, or it can simply travel alongside a jaw problem. A 2022 systematic review of nine studies found that painful TMD was associated with tension-type headache, migraine and chronic headache. Jaw joint problems without pain showed no such link, and the certainty of the evidence was rated low to very low (Réus et al., 2022).

A 2024 review of 13 studies found that people with migraine or tension-type headache had clearly higher odds of TMD than people without headaches, mainly painful and muscle-related TMD (Bizzarri et al., 2024). The newest meta-analysis looked at both directions. People with migraine had about six times the odds of also having TMD, and people with TMD had roughly two and a half times the odds of migraine. The authors rated this evidence as high certainty and advise clinicians to check for both conditions whenever one is present (Dias et al., 2026).

These studies are snapshots in time, so they show that the conditions cluster together without telling us which one starts the other. Researchers link long-lasting TMD pain to sensitisation of nerve cells in the trigeminal nucleus, the brainstem's relay station for pain from the face and head (List & Jensen, 2017).

The ICHD-3 notes that muscle-driven TMD headache and tension-type headache overlap, and that the headache should be classed as tension-type when the TMD diagnosis is uncertain (ICHD-3, 2018).

How can you tell if your headache comes from your jaw?

A research group led by Eric Schiffman tested which signs best separate a jaw-driven headache from other headaches in 373 people who had both TMD and headache. Two criteria worked well together: a headache in the temple area that changes with jaw movement, chewing or clenching, and the same headache appearing when the temple muscle is pressed or the jaw is moved. Together they picked up 89 per cent of jaw-related headaches and correctly cleared 87 per cent of people whose headache was not coming from the jaw (Schiffman et al., 2012).

Other clues are pain around your jaw and ear and pain that gets worse when you chew or feel stressed (NHS). If you clench or grind a lot, our page on teeth grinding explains the habit.

Try it: the two-minute temple check

I use this check early in an assessment because it mirrors what the diagnostic criteria ask for.

1. Sit comfortably and point with one finger to where your headache sits.
2. Place your fingertips on your temples, just above and in front of your ears, and clench gently. The muscle you feel bulging is the temporalis.
3. Relax your jaw and press that muscle with steady, firm pressure for a few seconds on each side. Notice whether this brings on your familiar headache, beyond simple local tenderness.
4. Open your mouth slowly as wide as is comfortable, then move your jaw from side to side and forward.
5. Note whether any step made the headache appear, spread or change.

If pressing the temple or moving your jaw reproduces the headache you know, that matches the two criteria above and is worth raising with a dentist or physiotherapist. Stop if anything feels sharp or your jaw starts to lock.

What helps when your jaw is behind the headache?

The research on treating TMD to relieve headache is still thin. A 2025 review found only five randomised trials. A stabilisation splint did not reduce headache frequency or intensity in the first one to three months, but after four to nine months it reduced how often headaches came, though not how strong they were. Physiotherapy reduced headache intensity compared with non-specific exercises, with very low certainty. The authors suggest clinicians may consider combining both, while stressing that the effects remain uncertain (Demont et al., 2025).

For long-lasting TMD pain in general the evidence is broader. An international guideline in the BMJ strongly recommends cognitive behavioural therapy, manual therapy, supervised jaw exercise and stretching, and usual care such as home exercises and education. It recommends conditionally against reversible occlusal splints for chronic TMD pain (Busse et al., 2023). The guideline looked at jaw pain in general, while the splint benefit for headache comes from three small trials, so treat a splint as a later option to discuss with your dentist. Our page on night guard alternatives sets out other options.

In the moment

The NHS suggests holding an ice pack or a heat pack wrapped in a tea towel to your jaw, whichever feels better, gently massaging the sore jaw muscles and sticking to soft food for a while. Paracetamol or ibuprofen can take the edge off (NHS). Keep your teeth apart whenever you are not eating, with your lips closed and your tongue resting softly behind your upper front teeth.

Long term

I ask people to build a short daily routine and keep it up for several weeks:

• Temple and cheek massage: slow circles with your fingertips over the temporalis and the masseter in your cheek, firm enough to feel and gentle enough to stay comfortable.
• Controlled opening: keep your tongue on the roof of your mouth and open and close slowly without letting your jaw drift to one side.
• Habit check: several times a day, notice whether your teeth are touching and let them drop apart.

The NIDCR also recommends reducing habits such as clenching, gum chewing and nail biting, and practising relaxation (NIDCR, 2026). You will find more routines on our TMJ exercises page.

How JawBuddy helps

JawBuddy is a digital companion for guided jaw exercises and self-management. It helps you turn a routine like the one above into a habit with short sessions that fit into your day.

JawBuddy does not replace emergency care or an individual diagnosis from a qualified healthcare professional.

When should you see a doctor?

A headache can sometimes signal something serious. The NHS advises you to call 999 or go to A&E (in the US, call 911) if you have a headache and:

• it started suddenly and is extremely painful,
• you have numbness or weakness in your face or body, or find it hard to speak, balance, walk or remember things,
• you have had a seizure, feel drowsy or confused, or have lost vision,
• you had a head injury in the last three months,
• you have a very high temperature or a stiff neck, find bright light hard to bear, or have a rash that does not fade when you roll a glass over it (NHS).

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or contact NHS 111 if your headache comes with vision problems, gets worse when you cough, sneeze or bend down, or comes with vomiting. The same applies to a headache with jaw pain when eating or a sore or tender scalp, and the NHS TMD page adds a jaw that locks or being unable to eat or drink (NHS). Jaw pain when eating, a tender scalp and vision problems can be signs of temporal arteritis, an inflammation of the arteries at the temples that can lead to stroke or blindness if it is not treated quickly (NHS).

See a GP if you get headaches regularly or self-care is not helping (NHS). Facial swelling with a fever needs to be seen by a doctor or dentist the same day. Jaw problems can bring other symptoms too, covered in can TMJ cause dizziness? and can TMJ cause ringing in the ears?, and our jaw pain page helps you sort out the jaw side.

You don't have to keep pushing through it

Regular headaches wear you down. If your jaw turns out to be involved, you have found a part of the problem you can work on yourself. Try the temple check this week, and if it brings on your familiar headache, book an appointment with a dentist or physiotherapist who treats jaw problems.

For the bigger picture, read our TMJ disorder guide.