Therapeutic Botox
San Jose, CA

Medical studies have shown that Botox® for bruxism can help reduce unconscious teeth grinding and treat painful symptoms of jaw clenching. In addition to helping treat the cause of teeth grinding, Botox® often helps to reduce the severity of unpleasant side effects that result from teeth grinding, including migraines, facial pains, jaw discomfort, masseter muscle hypertrophy, and more.

When compared to traditional treatments, Botox® may be advantageous because it addresses the source of bruxism and helps reduce the frequency and severity of teeth grinding. By temporarily weakening the muscle.

Conventional teeth grinding treatments include prescription medications and mouth guards. While medication is effective in some patients, it may not provide any relief for other patients. On the other hand, mouth guards are effective at reducing dental damage but fail to reduce uncomfortable side effects like jaw pain or migraines.

Botox® is an effective treatment for jaw clenching and teeth grinding, but its effects are temporary. Similar to cosmetic injections for wrinkles, regular appointments are necessary. After receiving jaw Botox® injections, many patients experience a relief of symptoms for 3-6 months. At this point, additional Botox® treatments for teeth grinding are necessary to maintain these results. Each patient’s case of teeth grinding is different. Dr. Anwar can help determine the quantity and frequency of Botox® treatments for the best results possible.

A consultation appointment is scheduled with Dr. Sara Anwar to determine the severity of the muscle tension and bruxism. Dr. Sara will decide how many units you will need and which muscles to be injected. The procedure appointment will take only 15 minutes. By injecting small doses of Botox directly into the masseter muscle (the large muscle that moves the jaw) extra orally, the injection time takes only a few seconds. You may resume regular activity immediately after the appointment. the muscle is weakened enough to stop involuntary grinding of the teeth and clenching of the jaw. This significantly relaxes the muscle and reduces the wear and tear on the teeth due to grinding. Damage to the TMJ (temporomandibular joint) and headaches should be reduced or eliminated as well. This procedure is relatively painless with a numbing cream applied to the skin before the small injections are administered. Voluntary movements, such as chewing and facial expressions, are not affected at all by Botox. On the long term, severe muscle contraction can cause the cheek muscle to be firm and squared, when doing the regular Botox treatments, the muscle should be restored to its natural state, often times slimming the jaw line to a softer look.