Can Your Wisdom Teeth Really Cause Headaches?

I get this question all the time:
“Doc… could my wisdom teeth be causing my headaches?”

And the simple answer is:
Yes. Absolutely. And more often than you think.

I know it sounds wild that something happening way in the back of your mouth could affect your head, neck, posture — even the way you sit and stand — but let me walk you through it in the same way I explain it to my patients every day.

Because once you understand what’s going on, it makes perfect sense.

Where the trouble really starts: impaction

Most people only think about wisdom teeth when they’re hurting.

But here’s the thing:
You don’t need pain for a wisdom tooth to be causing issues.

A wisdom tooth that’s impacted — meaning it’s stuck under the gum or growing in at the wrong angle — can quietly cause:

• Pressure in the jaw
  
  
• Gum irritation
  
  
• Bite changes
  
  
• Tension in the muscles around the jaw
  
  
• And eventually… headaches
  
  

And these aren’t small headaches.
For some people, it feels like a migraine behind the eye, along the temple, or at the back of the head.

You’d be surprised how many “mystery headaches” actually start with the teeth.

Why headaches happen: your jaw and your nerves are connected

Your jaw isn’t just sitting there minding its business.
It’s connected to one of the most powerful nerves in your head — the trigeminal nerve — which also links into the upper part of your neck.

So when an impacted wisdom tooth is putting pressure on the jaw or causing inflammation, the signals travel along that nerve.
Your brain isn’t good at “pinpointing” where the pain is coming from, so instead of saying:

“Hey, something’s wrong with that wisdom tooth,”

your brain says:

“Headache!”

This is why some headaches feel like they’re coming from behind your eyes or across your forehead — even when the real problem is at the back of your mouth.

How your bite shifts… and takes your posture with it

This is the part nobody talks about, but it’s so important.

When a wisdom tooth is pushing in the wrong direction or creating pressure, it can change the way your teeth meet when you bite down.

A tiny shift in your bite might not sound like a big deal, but your body notices.
Your jaw starts adjusting…
your head shifts forward a little…
your neck muscles start working overtime…
and before you know it:

• Your neck feels tight
  
  
• Your shoulders are tense
  
  
• You’re getting headaches more often
  
  
• You sit and stand differently without even realizing it
  
  

Your jaw, head, neck and posture are all part of one big connected system.
When one part is off, the whole thing gets thrown out of balance.

I’ve seen patients come in thinking they need a chiropractor… and it turns out they needed their wisdom teeth removed.

Why this happens so often in the Caribbean

Here’s the part that hits close to home.

Research from right here in the Caribbean shows that over 27% of adults in Trinidad have at least one impacted wisdom tooth.
And on top of that, more than half of the population struggles with moderate to high dental anxiety — which means many people delay treatment until the pain becomes unbearable.

So we have a perfect storm:

• High impaction rates
  
  
• High dental anxiety
  
  
• People avoiding early check-ups
  
  
• Lots of self-medicating and “waiting to see if it goes away”
  
  

By the time they come in, the wisdom tooth has already caused pressure, bite issues, gum inflammation, or even damage to the tooth in front of it — and that’s when the headaches really start to show up.

The early signs most people miss

If you’ve been wondering whether your headaches might be dental-related, here are some signs I tell people to look out for:

• A dull ache at the back of the jaw
  
  
• Headaches when chewing
  
  
• Neck tension that doesn’t go away
  
  
• Pain concentrated on one side
  
  
• A bad taste coming from the back of the mouth
  
  
• Difficulty opening your mouth fully
  
  
• Swollen gums around a hidden tooth
  
  

Even if you’re not in pain, these symptoms are red flags telling you something is brewing under the surface.

This is why an assessment is so important

A lot of people wait until a wisdom tooth “acts up,” but I always say:

Silence doesn’t mean safety.

Impacted wisdom teeth can cause problems long before you feel pain — from headaches and posture issues to gum infections and damage to other teeth.

That’s why the best thing you can do is get checked early.
A simple X-ray shows us exactly what’s going on and whether the tooth is likely to cause problems later on.

And honestly?
The earlier we catch it, the easier and safer the treatment is — and the faster you get back to normal life.

What happens after treatment? Relief — and sometimes instantly

One of the most rewarding parts of my job is watching patients come back after treatment and say:

“Doc… my headaches disappeared!”

When the source of pressure is removed, the jaw relaxes, the neck muscles release, and the headaches often resolve on their own.
Sometimes within days.

Your body finally gets to settle back into its natural, comfortable position.

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If you’ve been getting unexplained headaches… don’t ignore your wisdom teeth

I say this with love:
Don’t suffer in silence and don’t guess.

Get checked.
Let’s look at your X-ray.
Let’s see what’s going on beneath the gum.
Sometimes the solution is much simpler than you think.

Your wisdom teeth don’t just affect your mouth —
they affect your entire body, your posture, your comfort, your sleep, and your quality of life.

If headaches have been holding you back, this might be the piece of the puzzle you’ve been missing.

And I’d be happy to help you figure it out.

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