The TIME article and a NEWSWEEK cover story titled “Migraines”, January 11, 1999, feature graphic drawings of the trigeminal nerve and its involvement. Yet they only show what one of the three branches of the trigeminal supplies. “Tri-” means three. The articles do not show what the other branches supply; they only illustrate the ophthalmic branch which is the smallest of the three branches. (See Detailed Info)
The other two branches are the largest branches of the trigeminal nerve. The maxillary and mandibular branches supply all the upper and lower teeth, both TMJ joints, the linings of the sinuses, and all the muscles used for chewing. Place your four fingers at your temples. Now move them up about an inch and fan them out. Clench your teeth and feel the huge temporalis muscle bulge in the side of your head. This is the source of many stress headaches.
The ophthalmic branch, shown in the diagrams, supplies the area of the head and eyes where many patients experience pain, but the branches they ignore are the branches that trigger the referred symptoms mentioned on this site, including all types of primary headaches.
These articles mainly focus on the modern drugs that affect dilation or constriction of the arteries surrounding the brain. The thrust of our treatment focuses on the teeth as vertical support beams and a part of the skeleton. And most importantly, they are the only area in the body where the hard structure of the skeleton protrudes through the skin (gums). I can’t stress the importance of this reality enough! This problematic area for skeletal balance or imbalance lies right at the base of the cranium that houses the brain, the nerve center of the entire body.
Let’s add to this the realization that the bilateral cranial nerve that simultaneously controls the mechanics of the complex intermeshing of 32 teeth, three bones, two joints, two menisci, and all the muscles we chew with is the trigeminal nerve, the largest of the 12 cranial nerves. These muscles are capable of exerting hundreds of pounds of pressure (almost like a weight bearing joint such as the knee) during chewing, clenching or bruxing. Throw in some stress and the fact that the trigeminal nerve is able to detect imbalances as small as 1/10,000th of a millimeter, and you have all the ingredients needed to unconsciously clench and grind repeatedly throughout the day and especially when unconscious during sleep. This process generates the chronically repeated Pain Anxiety Cycle and the potential for a lifetime of pain, unless we balance the forces and put an end to the over-stimulation of the trigeminal nerve. Thus the skeleton protruding through the tissue becomes a huge blessing.
The trigeminal is considered the chief sensory nerve of the head and face. It has the ability to create peace or chaos, and because the rigid structure of the skeleton is exposed via the teeth, we can alter and redirect the forces stimulating the trigeminal to bring about peace and the absence of pain. (See Pain Recycles to get a more thorough explanation of the pain anxiety cycle and how it feeds on itself, producing pain day in and day out, year in and year out.)
