Understanding Masseter Botox: A Solution for Bruxism Relief
This is a contributed post.
Are you sick of bruxism ruining your smile?
Millions suffer from teeth grinding every day. Living with bruxism causes jaw pain, sensitivity, damaged teeth, constant headaches and can even affect the appearance of your face. Recent research has shown that bruxism affects around 22% of the world's population.
Yep, that's 1 in 5 people…
The problem is:
Going to the dentist and getting a mouth guard may prevent teeth damage, but doesn't stop you grinding your teeth.
You need a solution that treats bruxism from the source – not just covers up symptoms.
Enter masseter Botox for bruxism relief.
Masseter Botox injections are quickly becoming one of the most popular treatment methods for patients who want fast, noticeable results. If you're tired of struggling to find an effective way to prevent teeth grinding – masseter Botox might be right for you.
What you'll learn
What Is Masseter Botox?
Why Mouth Guards Don't Stop Bruxism
How Does Masseter Botox Relieve Bruxism?
Who Is Masseter Botox For?
Masseter Botox Treatment Explained
What Is Masseter Botox?
Masseter Botox is the process of having botox injections administered into the masseter muscles (cheek) on each side of your jaw.
The masseter muscle is primarily responsible for chewing, clenching and grinding your teeth together. Masseter Botox treats bruxism by relaxing this muscle.
Essentially, when botox is injected into the masseter muscle it stops the pain and damage caused by teeth grinding.
The treatment process only takes around 10-15 minutes. Effects can last anywhere from 3-6 months.
Why Mouth Guards Don't Stop Bruxism
Did you know that your dentist's mouth guard won't actually stop you grinding your teeth at night?
They may prevent your teeth from coming into contact and further damage. But you will still feel the same amount of tension in your jaw as you bite down on the silicone guard.
All that pressure and clenching can cause jaw pain. Over time this can lead to serious symptoms like TMJ disorder. If you're looking for bruxism treatment you need to look past band-aids like mouth guards.
There are many issues that bruxism can cause including:
Damage to your teeth enamel
Pain in your jaw and jaw joint (TMJ)
Persistent headaches
Masseter (cheek) muscle expanding
Sleep disruption
Until you treat the root cause of bruxism – your teeth will keep grinding.
How Does Masseter Botox Relieve Bruxism?
Masseter Botox involves injecting botox into the muscles on each side of your jaw. These injections relax the muscle, which reduces the amount of tension you'll feel when grinding your teeth.
Want to know what else happens when you get masseter botox?
The treatment will also slim down your jawline over time.
Masseter Botox has actually been used by many celebrities to get that coveted slim face look. When you book in your appointment, make sure to mention this to your aesthetic doctor and they'll help assist determine how many injections you'll need.
As mentioned earlier, most patients start to see noticeable results within 1-2 weeks of treatment. Full effects aren't instantaneous, but will grow progressively better up until the four to six week mark.
By receiving masseter botox injections you'll experience:
Significant reduction in teeth grinding
Less jaw pain and inflammation
Reduced headaches
A thinner more sculpted jawline
This treatment is unique from mouth guards and meds because it treats bruxism from the root cause. The more treatments you receive – the more your brain begins to forget how to grind your teeth.
Eventually you'll reach a point where your dose can be increased to longer intervals. Patients have even reported stopping treatments completely.
Who Is Masseter Botox For?
First things first – if you don't suffer from bruxism then this treatment is not for you.
Masseter Botox is used to treat people who are severely affected by teeth grinding. Some people see benefits from wearing mouth guards or taking anti-anxiety medication.
You should consider masseter botox if you:
Find that mouth guards do not help with your bruxism.
Are suffering from jaw pain or TMJ disorder.
Have visibly large cheek muscles.
Grind your teeth at night and are unable to control it.
Find that you grind your teeth when you're feeling stressed.
Masseter botox is also great for patients who want that extra perk of facial contouring. As your treatment plan progresses your cheeks will begin to look slimmer and more defined.
Winner.
One thing to keep in mind when it comes to getting masseter botox. Make sure you receive your injections from a certified professional.
You should never try and administer botox by yourself. When you head to your appointment, talk to your aesthetic about what you hope to achieve and ask any questions you may have.
They will work with you to customize the perfect treatment plan.
Masseter Botox Treatment Explained
Curious as to what happens when you get masseter botox? Here's a walkthrough of the process.
Just like any other botox treatment – your aesthetic will map out where injections will be placed. From there they'll use small needles to inject botox onto each side of your jaw.
Your treatment will go a little something like this:
Procedure: 10-15 Minutes | Discomfort: Near To None
Begin seeing results: 1-2 Weeks
Max results: 4-6 Week Mark
Lasts up to: 3-6 Months
There's no recovery time necessary after your appointment. Results will start to show within the first couple weeks. You can go about your day as you normally would after treatment.
Again, remember that masseter botox isn't a one and done kind of treatment. Depending on your treatment plan you'll have to continue receiving injections every 4-6 months.
Wrapping Things Up
Masseter botox for bruxism is becoming one of the most popular treatment methods for a reason. Not only will you see a reduction in teeth grinding, but your jawline will start to look more sculpted too.
Here's a summary of everything covered above:
Bruxism affects 1 in 5 people.
Bruxism can cause jaw pain, headaches and damaged teeth.
Mouth guards do not treat bruxism they just prevent damage to teeth.
Masseter botox relieves bruxism by relaxing the muscles in your jaw.
Results take 1-2 weeks to take effect and can last up to 6 months.
Regular treatments can help reduce the frequency of treatments.
If you grind your teeth and are looking for a long-term solution – speak with your aesthetic about masseter botox.
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