Botox & Dentistry

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. ]]>