Houston Texas TMJ Dentist: What causes “Brain Freeze” Patients often ask us what causes cold headaches or more commonly, what causes “brain freeze headache”? Brain freeze is really not occurring in the brain. It is technically called spenopalatine ganglioneuralgia. When you drink or eat something cold and it touches the roof of your mouth, it is the change in temperature that affects the blood vessels which is trying to warm it back up. This dilation in off the blood vessels is what triggers the brain to know there is a problem. The pain is referred, meaning it is not at the source, or rather the pain is at a different location than from where you feel it. In short, brain freeze results from something cold touching the roof of your mouth and which causes the headache symptoms. Interesting! If you have questions about Houston Texas TMJ or Houston Texas Headaches, please feel free to call our office, Ronald W. Konig DDS, FAGD, LVIF 713-668-2289
