The Unexpected Effect Endometriosis Can Have On Your Jaw & Teeth – Health Digest

If you’re among the 10% of women of reproductive age who experiences endometriosis, you’re probably familiar with the severe pain during periods, intercourse, and bowel movements (per the World Health Organization). Endometriosis can also cause problems with mental health, fatigue, bloating, and even fertility.

With endometriosis, tissue similar to the lining of the uterus (called endometrial tissue) grows in other parts of the body. In rare cases, this tissue can be found in the skull bone near the temple and may cause pain in your jaw (the temporomandibular joint, or TMJ). According to a 2023 study in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, women with endometriosis who experienced pelvic pain on one side of the body were also more likely to have jaw pain on that same side. Those with jaw pain were also more likely to clench their teeth.

While there are treatments for endometriosis that help with pelvic pain, they didn’t seem to relieve jaw pain. This suggests that additional treatments may be needed to fully address the range of symptoms.

Don’t assume jaw pain is just from stress. While about one-third of people experience temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), a 2024 study in the Journal of Clinical Medicine found that 77% of women with endometriosis have TMD pain, and nearly half of them experience significant pain. Those with TMD also reported feeling more pain overall. The study found it took nearly three years, on average, for these women to receive an endometriosis diagnosis.

Stress, anxiety, and depression can all affect how much pain you feel from both TMD and endometriosis, which may help explain the link between the two. Both conditions fall under a group called Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions (COPCs), meaning if you have one chronic pain disorder, you’re more likely to develop another. That’s because these conditions can change how the brain processes pain. They can also make your nervous system more sensitive, leading to more persistent pain and other conditions like headaches or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Endometriosis is more than just extreme menstrual cramps. During menstruation, the endometrial tissue in the uterus thickens and then leaves the body. But when similar tissue grows in other parts of the body like the ovaries or other organs, it doesn’t leave the body. Instead, it can form adhesions and cause organs to stick together. Endometriosis doesn’t always cause symptoms, but when the tissue grows in other organs, it can lead to problems that are often misdiagnosed. For example, some people may be told they have IBS when they actually have endometriosis.

According to the Endometriosis Foundation of America, a simple blood, urine, or saliva test can’t detect signs of endometriosis. Imaging tests like ultrasounds or MRIs may suggest its presence, but only a diagnostic laparoscopy can definitively confirm it. Pain medications and hormone therapy can help manage symptoms, but laparoscopic excision surgery can remove endometriosis lesions that may be causing trouble.