How does botox really work? Botox acts on the muscle its injected into by relaxing and reducing the strength of contractions. It is a highly refined purified protein with absolutely no live bacteria that lasts approximately 3-6 months. As the effects of Botox wear off, strength gradually returns to the contraction of the muscle affected.
Therapy with Botox for Grinding, Clenching, and TMJ Disorder
Many people grind and clench their teeth and/or suffer from TMJ Disorder. Your teeth should only touch together approximately 30 minutes a day, for chewing and swallowing. People that grind and clench put their teeth together more then 30 minutes a day. The hyper-function of the muscles used to move the jaw and put the teeth together can lead to: excessive wear to the teeth, broken teeth, inflammation/hypertrophy of muscles used to move jaw, TMJ Disorder, and headaches. Treating a patient with Botox in combination with a night guard can significantly reduce the symptoms from hyper-function of these muscles.Gummy Smiles
Some patients have excessive gum tissue showing when they smile or talk. This could be due to excessive jaw growth, short upper lip, hyper-function of upper lip muscles, and/or altered gum tissue growth. Patients will sometimes go through gum or jaw surgery to reduce a “gummy smile.” An non-invasive alternative treatment option to treat “gummy smiles” is injecting botox into the upper lip muscles that produce a smile. By relaxing these muscles of facial expression with botox, the amount of gum tissue exposed when smiling is reduced.Wrinkles
Wrinkles are caused by muscles that fold the skin overlying.
When the contraction of the muscles that cause facial
expressions are reduced, wrinkles are reduced or go away completely by allowing the skin to recover. Dentists are experts in the anatomy of the head/neck region and are excellent sources for injections in the area. An added benefit is that patients typically see the dentist for routine cleanings every 6 months, the perfect time to have the Botox re-done.
]]>
It’s hard to resist eating the candy intended for the big day before Halloween actually arrives. Then there’s the question of what do you do with all the left over candy that wasn’t given out, or the haul from “Trick-or-Treating!”
Here’s our advice– Halloween is a fun time, so enjoy it. Just keep some of these tips in mind to help minimize the risk of getting cavities:
-Try to avoid really sticky candies like caramels and taffies. These types of candies typically get into the nooks and crannies of your teeth that are hard to clean.
-Give yourself or your child a set number of pieces of candy you can eat per day as to limit the sugar intake each day.
– Try and limit the number of times you expose your teeth to candy in a day. It is better to eat multiple pieces at once, rather than one piece at time, multiple times during the day.
– Try to brush and floss after snacking on candy.
– If you’re unable to brush and floss, try and drink water. Although it won’t clean all of the sugar away from your teeth and is not a guarantee that you won’t get cavities, it will help cleanse your mouth, helping to reduce the possibily of cavities. Sugar-free gum is also another good trick. Like water, it helps to remove residual sugar from your mouth, while also stimulating saliva flow. Saliva is a natural protector against cavities.
Happy Halloween!]]> 
Miles away from home and in unfamiliar surroundings and it hits you– your previously perfect tooth has just shattered and is now throbbing uncontrollably. Now what?
Traveling in the US?
– First step, call your dentist, they may have some words of advice for your particular problem. Also, depending on your circumstances they may be able to call in a prescription if necessary or direct you to a nearby facility to help you.
– If your dentist is unavailable and you’re at a hotel, utilize your concierge or front desk staff. Often times they will have a list of people in the area that they have on call for emergency medical and dental situations.
– If neither options are available, contact the local hospital. Mostly likely a dentist or oral surgeon will be on call to help you with your emergency.
Traveling out of the Country?
– As previously mentioned, contact your dentist immediately. Unfortunately, he/she will not be able to prescribe you any medications overseas but may be able to give you advice on how to proceed. Also, check-in with your concierge for local resources as you would in the U.S.
– If you don’t feel comfortable with your hotel’s concierge or don’t have a great grasp of the language and resources available to accomodate you, you may want to contact services at the U.S. Embassy. They may be able to put you in touch with medical services and help with transferring funds from the U.S.
– We also advise you contact your insurance company before a trip abroad to see if there are any policies about coverage outside of the country.]]> 