Stop Grinding Your Teeth With A Little Help From BOTOX®

If you find yourself waking up in the morning with a sore jaw, there’s a good chance that you’re grinding your teeth at night. Across the board, dentists have seen an uptick in cracked teeth over the past year. The most likely culprit: pandemic stress. While mouthguards can help protect your teeth from the grinding at night, BOTOX® can help protect your teeth from grinding during the day.

BOTOX® for Bruxism 

If you suffer from jaw, neck, or face pain; headaches; a tight or locked jaw; or the worn tooth enamel, you may have bruxism. “Bruxism is a condition in which you grind, gnash or clench your teeth,” according to the Mayo Clinic. If left untreated, grinding can lead to fracturing, loosening, or even the loss of your teeth.

Yikes! We like our teeth right where they are, thanks!

The good news is that teeth grinding (a.k.a. bruxism) can be treated early and easily with BOTOX®. Wait, I can actually treat teeth grinding with BOTOX®? Believe it or not, yes, you can. For the cost of BOTOX®, reaping the benefits of reduced or eliminated teeth grinding can be highly valuable!  

BOTOX® is an injectable drug used to soften muscle contraction (which is why it’s great for wrinkles and wrinkle prevention). When it comes to treating bruxism, BOTOX® is a great choice because it can be injected directly into the masseter muscles to help ease jaw tension. This significantly relaxes the muscles and stops the involuntary grinding and clenching of the jaw.

And don’t worry, your voluntary movements—like smiling and eating—will not be affected if BOTOX® is properly administered by a trained professional. (More on that below!) 

It’s important to know that BOTOX® does not treat all jaw related issues, such as TMJ. With that being said, if a patient suffers from both TMJ and bruxism, by treating the bruxism with BOTOX®, it may help alleviate some TMJ symptoms (though results are not guaranteed). 

How many units of BOTOX®?

With any treatment, some patients are more receptive than others. That means the amount of BOTOX® needed to treat bruxism varies from patient to patient. We can say that generally it does tend to take multiple units of BOTOX® for it to be effective in the jaw. Your Dermacare of Hampton Roads provider will work closely with you to determine how many units are needed for effective treatment. 

The Risks 

It’s very important to receive your BOTOX® treatment from a provider with ample experience injecting into the facial muscles. If BOTOX® for bruxism isn’t administered correctly, it can migrate and temporarily paralyze parts of your face. 

We’ll say that again, if you get BOTOX® from bruxism from a provider not skilled in facial injections, the BOTOX® can migrate to other parts of your face.

If that happens to you (like at your dentist’s office), don’t worry. This side effect is temporary. At Dermacare of Hampton Roads our Dermacare of Hampton Roads Experts are highly trained at administering BOTOX® and know exactly where to put it to treat bruxism.

What to Expect

Each patient who comes to us with symptoms of bruxism is thoroughly screened and diagnosed to make sure this treatment is right for them. Once a determination is made, your provider will go over everything you need to know and ask if you have any questions or concerns before beginning. 

Our Dermacare of Hampton Roads Experts have a combined 40 years of experience injecting BOTOX® and Dysport. They routinely receive advanced, continuing education and training, so when you choose Dermacare of Hampton Roads as your BOTOX® clinic, you know you’re in good hands. 

If you think you might have bruxism, give us a call today to see if BOTOX® is right for your jaw grinding 757-547-7546 .