Botox for Bruxism Treatments

If you’re someone who grinds their teeth, you’re not alone. It may cause you pain in your jaw, headaches, and might cause wearing of the tooth enamel or chipped teeth. In most cases, you get prescribed a nightguard if you’re doing this at night, but did you know that Botox is being used to help with this. 

 Botox? Really? 

Botox is usually used to plump up your lips or eliminate wrinkles, but according to studies published in neurology along with pain research and management, it’s been found that the relaxing elements of this may be used for helping with teeth grinding as well. According to another study, it may help with the non-cosmetic elements of bruxism as well. 

Botox does paralyze your muscles a little bit, which can help with other problems where the muscles must be relaxed, including but not limited to facial dystonia as well. 

Side Effects 

There are some side effects that come with Botox, and they include: 

• Pain near the injection site along with bruising 

• Headache and flulike problems 

• Cockeyed eyebrows or a droopy eyelid 

• Drooling or a crooked smile 

• Excessive tearing or dryness of the eye 

There are some rare side effects that can be a huge problem, and you should see ea doctor immediately if they occur: 

• Weakness of the muscles 

• Issues with swallowing or speaking 

• Blurred vision or other problems. 

• Loss of control of bladder issues with breathing 

You should discuss the treatments for this with a dentist, doctor, or an oral maxillofacial specialist to help you with this. 

Other Treatments before Botox 

Not everyone is okay with Botox as a treatment. Another treatment that’s commonly used is a night guard, and it can help with a little bit of tension, especially at night. Muscle relaxation and improving your habits before you go to bed do help with this. Some people may use biofeedback to help with this, especially if they’re daytime teeth grinders. Biofeedback utilizes different sensors to check out the electrical activity which causes the contraction of the muscles. When you’re aware that hey, you’re clenching your teeth, you might be able to control jaw tension a little bit better as well. 

Maintaining Enamel 

For someone who does grind their teeth daily, one of the best things to add to your routine is a product that’ll strengthen the enamels. You should also use a brush that’s soft-bristled and start to use toothpaste that strengthens your enamel. 

It’s important to understand that some of these conditions do come about because of stress. If you’ve got a stressful situation going on and you don’t feel like you can get rid of it, and you’ve tried everything, then you might need to look into Botox to help with this. In general though, a diet that’s healthy, with good oral hygiene, and getting the proper rest is probably the best way to get rid of tension in the jaw. 

If you notice that it’s going on, or if your noticing this more and more, then it might be best to consider looking to a dentist or even a doctor and see if they would recommend this type of treatment. Botox isn’t for everyone, but there are different people that are getting it these days, and it may be good as a temporary sort of relief, but one of the key things to remember is that if you’re going to be using this, then you need to understand the risks, and that you need to have regular injections for it to work too.