Dr. Poe's Los Angeles Headache Blog

True statement made by a new patient during our first getting to know you meeting. "Am I Crazy or are my headaches making me crazy?" Can pain cause mental illness? I will have to look into that but I do see pain being the cause of irritability, a short fuse, and down right mean.

I try to concentrate on decreasing or eliminating the discomfort and then check your mental state. Its amazing how many of my non-neuromuscular dental colleagues do not treat TMJ/TMD. Their comments are usually something like "Those patients are crazy".
I have found just the opposite, that TMJ/TMD patients, once feeling better are the best patients and become their old selves again. Or at least that is what their family and friends say. And their demeanor in the office is 100% different from their 1st visit.

Constant pain can have a debilitating effect. Just ask someone who is in pain, and if it is you, then I wish you are on your way to reducing or better yet eliminating it.

Until next time,

Dr. Poe