Unveiling The Surprising Link: Sinus Headaches And Tooth Pain Explained

Have you ever had a sinus headache so bad your teeth hurt? Megan Jackson, of Owensboro, KY, posed that question recently on her Facebook page. Many people chimed in and many answered, "Yes!"  They have been there and done that and earned the badge. I certainly have. I know exactly that sensation Megan's talking about and describing. In fact, when I have sinus issues, I routinely feel them in my teeth first.

But that seems weird, right? How does a sinus headache or infection cause someone's teeth to hurt?

WHY DO MY TEETH HURT WHEN I HAVE A SINUS INFECTION?

Well, the explanation is really quite simple. When people have a sinus headache, they tend to point to their foreheads as the source of discomfort. When I have a regular headache (I am prone to migraines), the pain is somewhere in my head- not my nose and certainly not my teeth.

The truth, however, is that your nasal sinuses are also located between your eyes and on either side of your nose. They're REALLY close to your teeth and that proximity is why they can absorb and reflect some of that pain.

Here's a good explanation, complete with diagrams and images of your sinus cavities and their location.

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As it turns out, tooth pain is a quite common symptom of sinusitis. But how do you know if you're having a sinus toothache or just a regular one?

Healthline.com shared this distinguishing characteristic. "Sinus tooth pain is primarily felt in the upper molars" and affects "several teeth instead of only one." Megan was certainly experiencing that when she made her social media post. I have suffered that dull pain too. Honestly, it makes it difficult to eat when multiple teeth of mine are aching. If I have sinus drainage AND tooth pain, forget it. I am probably just not going to eat.

This is pretty fascinating too. Tooth pain from a sinus headache can actually get worse with certain types of movement. Healthline explains, "That's because sinus pressure shifts as you move." The good news though- and I have experienced this brief remedy too- tooth pain caused by inflamed sinuses can subside if you sit down or lie down. Sitting still can actually relieve some of that pressure that's causing the pain in the first place.

So, if you're feeling tooth pain and you think it's related to your sinuses, you're not wrong and you're not alone.  In the Ohio Valley, sinus issues affect many of us. In addition to getting toothaches from them, I even suffer this nastiness. Do you ever smell (and taste) something REALLY gross when you have sinus infections?

READ MORE: What's That Nasty Smell in My Sinus Cavity? A Kentucky Doctor Explains.