There are a number of ideas about the cause of migraine headaches ranging from theories involving a genetic component to dietary triggers and weather changes. While the burgeoning field of migraine research continues to shed light on the numerous contributing factors, one point is clear: Migraine is a result of a hypersensitized trigeminal nerve.

Now, I know what you're thinking. "A hypersensitized WHAT?!?!" A hypersensitized trigeminal nerve. It's a nerve in your brain that has two divisions. The first is a motor division that controls the muscles of mastication. These are the muscles involved in chewing, namely the temporalis, masseters, and lateral pterygoids. The second division is a sensory division. Think of it as a sensory map of your head and face. Following me so far?
Picture the trigeminal nerve as a bucket. Throughout the day, your bucket is filled with negative input. This can be in the form of physical pain, mental stress or other negative input. The bucket fills throughout the day and when you sleep, the bucket should drain. Draining the bucket overnight allows you to wake up without pain.

Are your painful headaches actually migraines? A simple self-administered test devised by neurologist, Dr. Richard Lipton, MD and a team of researchers at Albert Einstein University has been shown to be a very effective screening tool. It's used by physicians and dentists around the world as a tool to diagnose migraines. The three question ID Migraine screener can be taken at home but your results should be shared with a health care professional.

1.) Has Headache limited your activities for a day or more in the last three months?
YES / NO

2.) Are you nauseated or sick to your stomach when you have a headache?
YES / NO

3.) Does light bother you when you have a headache?
YES / NO

An answer of "YES" to any 2 of the questions above suggests that your headache is a migraine. The questions are intended to determine if your headaches are debilitating, nausea-inducing and if you suffer from sensitivity from light, known as photophobia. Many options are available for migraine treatment and prevention. One often overlooked option is the NTI-tss Plus. In a clinical trial submitted for FDA approval, 82% of medically diagnosed migraine sufferers experienced a 77% reduction in migraine events. Ask your dentist about it. The NTI may change your life.
 
^{1 Lipton RB, Dodick D, Sadovsky R, et al. A self-administered screener for migraine in primary care: the ID Migraine™ validation study, Neurology 2003;61:375}

At one time or another we've all experienced the pain of a headache. Sure, some are worse than others and the pain may linger a bit longer in some instances but do you know that a headache is not simply "a headache?" Some may seem to be little more than a nuisance, while others may render us incapacitated for days. Emerging research is even showing that some migraine sufferers are at greater risk for stroke than non-migraineurs.

There are several types of headaches and each one is accompanied by a unique type of pain, whether it be the location or the sensation itself. The contributing factors to the onset of headaches , from teeth clenching to genetic factors can also be unique to each type. As we learn more about the specific causes of sinus, tension, and cluster headaches, as well as migraine, the medical and dental fields are also developing more effective treatments. Read more to see which of these eight headache types fit the description of your headaches.