Dental Botox and TMJ Treatment in Charlotte, NC
Botox® as an Alternative Treatment for TMJ®
Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ) and bruxism (cleanching and grinding), are notoriously difficult to diagnose and treat. Many of the related symptoms, such as headaches and earaches, often lead doctors to diagnose a sinus condition, as opposed to a problem with the jaw joint. TMJ symptoms often change in severity, depending on the amount of stress a person is going through. During an intensely stressful period, grinding teeth, debilitating earaches, and lockjaw may occur. Botox® injections are sometimes an effective and painless way to alleviate tension in the temporomandibular joint, reducing jaw pain, headaches, and suffering.
Botox® is commonly associated with cosmetic practices, including eliminating glabellar lines and facial wrinkles. Recently however, Botox® has become an increasingly popular TMJ treatment. Although some TMJ symptoms may improve without any specific treatment, Botox® offers fast and long-lasting relief for those that do not.
Here are several of the major benefits Botox® offers TMJ sufferers:
- Elimination of headaches caused by nighttime clenching/grinding
- Minimization of lockjaw
- Reduced discomfort when using the jaw
- Reduced shoulder and neck pain
- Substantially reduced jaw tension
How does Botox® work?
Botox® expediently alleviates tension caused by bruxism by relaxing the jaw muscles, thus preventing unconscious jaw movement and ending grinding-related headaches.
One of the major advantages of Botox® is that normal functions such as speaking, swallowing, and biting are left unaffected. The only major change is the reduction in pain and discomfort. In addition, controlling TMJ can also prevent serious dental problems from occurring later. TMJ, if left untreated, can contribute to tooth decay, gum disease and broken teeth.
What’s involved when getting Botox® injections?
The Botox® injections take 10-20 minutes to administer, depending on the amount required. Normal activity can be resumed immediately after the Botox® treatment, but strenuous activity should be avoided for 24 hours after treatment. It may take 5-14 days to feel the full benefits of the treatment, but Botox® will continue to work for 3-6 months.
FAQs
Can Botox help with teeth grinding and jaw clenching?
It can. Botox works on bruxism by relaxing the jaw muscles, which stops the unconscious movement behind the headaches that come from clenching and grinding at night. Patients also see less lockjaw, less jaw tension, and less shoulder and neck pain once those muscles settle.
How soon does Botox for TMJ start working, and how long does it last?
The injections themselves take 10 to 20 minutes depending on how much you need, and you can go straight back to your day afterward, though we’d ask you to skip strenuous activity for 24 hours. Relief builds rather than arriving instantly, and most people feel the full effect somewhere between 5 and 14 days in. From there it keeps working for about three to six months before you’d come back.
Will Botox for TMJ change how I talk, eat or swallow?
No. Speaking, swallowing and biting are all left unaffected, because the treatment addresses the tension in the jaw muscle rather than the way your mouth functions. The change you should notice is less pain and discomfort, not a difference in how anything works.
What happens if TMJ and grinding go untreated?
TMJ left alone can contribute to tooth decay, gum disease and broken teeth, so it isn’t only a comfort issue. Symptoms also tend to track your stress, meaning a rough stretch can bring on grinding, bad earaches and lockjaw that weren’t there a month earlier. It’s commonly mistaken for a sinus problem too, since the headaches and earaches point somewhere other than the jaw, which is part of why it goes untreated for as long as it does.