Are you suffering from sore fascial muscles when you wake up? Do you experience soreness around your temporomandibular joints (TMJ)? Are you a bruxer (clenching and/or grinding your teeth at night)?
If so, you may benefit from our therapeutic Botox treatment. If your condition is related to the increased activity of facial muscles we can counter-act it by helping your muscles relax thus minimizing clenching and grinding. This will also reduce any stress transferred to your TMJ and alleviate your symptoms.
How Does Botox Work?
Botox is a trade name for botulinum toxin, which comes in the form of a purified protein. The mechanism of action for botulinum toxin A is really quite simple. It is injected into the facial muscles and, within a few hours, it attaches itself to the nerve endings of the motor muscles, thereby affecting the nerve transmission to these muscles. It takes anywhere from two to ten days to block the nerve transmitters which innervate the muscles where it was injected. There is no loss of sensory feeling at all during the time that botulinum toxin A is effective. Once these motor nerve endings are interrupted, the muscles becomes relaxed. The effects of Botox lasts approximately three to four months depending on various factors including the amount of botulinum toxin A injected, metabolic activity of the patient and lifestyle choices, which may cause the Botox treatment not to last as long. When the patient sees the wrinkles reappear, the patient needs retreatment.
This is one of the reasons that Botox has such an incredible safety record. Botulinum toxin A treatment by its nature is a temporary treatment and when the treatment effects are gone, they are gone completely. This is a little different than the usual mindset of dentists. Dentists don’t usually think of our treatments as temporary. The most common dental treatment that is like Botox therapy is teeth whitening. Teeth whitening is a temporary procedure that needs to be refreshed from time to time.
Therapeutic use of Botox in TMJ syndrome
Botox has useful clinical uses as an adjunct in TMJ and bruxism cases, even more so for patients with moderate chronic temporomandibular joint and facial pain. Botox is a muscle relaxer and when given in typically half the dosage used for facial wrinkle smoothing treatment, it can greatly reduce the intensity of the muscle contractions that contribute to TMJ and facial pain and give the patient significant relief. We have seen TMJ patients that have gotten the bruxism appliances, have done full mouth reconstructions, and are still at wits end at trying to find the right answer that will help them with their facial pain. Botox can play a very important role in reducing or eliminating their facial pain.
Contact us about our in office Botox therapy and let us help solve your problems!
TROPHY SMILE STUDIO offers general and cosmetic dentistry to Texans living in the Trophy Club, Roanoke, Westlake, Southlake, Grapevine, Justin, Haslet and Keller areas. Let us give you a reason to smile! Make your appointment today!