Being confident in your smile and appearance can be a boost to your self-esteem, and it all starts with the help of your dentist. Both restorative and cosmetic dentistry can benefit the shape, alignment, and even color of your teeth, removing any worry about showing them when you smile. You can also go a step further, taking additional measures to improve your overall facial appearance with the help of Botox treatments.
In the past, cosmetic procedures, including Botox injections, were the realm of dermatologists and plastic surgeons. Today, however, this is changing as dental offices expand to offer such services to patients in addition to dental procedures, often being the perfect combination to achieve that confident and healthy look you crave.
Why Botox?
Botox can provide beneficial results for your appearance, including the reduction of fine lines, wrinkles, and even crow’s feet. In addition, Botox is a solution for various dental issues, such as bruxism (teeth grinding at night), TMJ, and pain relief.
With the administering of small injections in specific spots around your mouth, lips, and face, Botox works by refraining certain muscles from contracting and causing those creases, lines, and wrinkles. Your skin returns to its natural smooth appearance as the muscles begin to relax.
While you’ll love the results, it’s important to note that they are not permanent but instead last approximately 3-4 months. After that, you will need to create a scheduled plan with your dentist’s office and repeat the procedure throughout the year as needed.
5 Reasons to Schedule a Botox Treatment with Your Dentist
Dental offices today offer more specialized services, including facial aesthetics, and are a safe and convenient option for receiving Botox along with your optimal dental care. To understand why, here are five reasons you should schedule a Botox treatment with your dentist.
1. Dentists Have Extensive Knowledge of Facial Structures
As you already know, dentists are familiar with all parts of your oral health needs. However, their extensive knowledge doesn’t end there. They also learn everything about facial structures and how everything is connected.
As a result, dentists are highly knowledgeable when it comes to how bones, muscles, nerves, and teeth work together to create the entire facial structure. With such in-depth understanding, your dentist can recommend and administer Botox treatments efficiently and effectively.
2. Dentists Expertly Administer Facial Injections
Various dental procedures require injections, usually for numbing, and dentists are experts at giving these injections with as little discomfort or pain as possible to the patient.
Combining their steady hands with ample experience, and overall knowledge of facial structures, your dentist is the perfect professional, then, for safely administering Botox injections as well.
3. Dentists Use Botox for Clinical Solutions as well as for Cosmetic Uses
While cosmetic uses of Botox are popular today, other valuable clinical uses exist as well for patients. The most well-known of these uses is to alleviate pain and soreness attributed to bruxism (teeth grinding and jaw clenching) and temporomandibular joints (TMJ) or to tame chronic headaches such as migraines.
Botox injections also benefit those new to wearing dentures by retraining facial muscles and can limit gummy smiles, which often lead to self-consciousness.
4. Dentists Provide Convenient Services to Benefit Both Your Oral Health and Appearance in One Location
Maintaining a healthy mouth with dental cleanings and exams can easily be combined with the administering of Botox treatments, allowing you to address both needs at one location.
In other words, you can create your perfect smile by utilizing the expertise of your dental team, including their facial aesthetics know-how, without having to make multiple appointments at different offices. By doing so, you save time and receive comprehensive services to help achieve and maintain the look you want.
All your records remain in one location, so the team can refer back to them to ensure you receive the right treatments at the right time also.
5. Dentists Obtain Specialized Botox Training
To provide Botox treatment services to patients, dentists receive additional training in the best methods for administering the injections themselves. With the already obtained knowledge of dental procedures and facial structures, this additional training brings even more confidence to the skills they can provide to patients.
Today there are more available options than ever to help you create and keep a smile you love to share with others. Your dentist can help, not only in assuring healthy and attractive teeth but also with facial aesthetic services, including beneficial Botox treatments.
Find Out More About Botox Treatments at Lifetime Dental in Columbus
Whether you suffer from pain or soreness from such conditions as TMJ or bruxism or want to elevate your smile to a higher level, the addition of Botox treatments by the professionals here at Lifetime Dental may just be the solution you’re looking for. To find out more, schedule an appointment today with our compassionate team and see how we can help.
TMJ, an acronym for temporomandibular joints, are some of your most commonly used joints. These joints, located in front of your ears, connect your skull to your jaw and are used when you swallow, talk, eat. Temporomandibular joints are located on both sides of your jaw and can be affected by injuries or disorders such as arthritis, an injury, teeth grinding among others, and then become TMJ disorders or dysfunctions.
Because of the frequency in which these joints are used, any injury or disorder to the joints can be extremely painful and debilitating, with issues such as:
Pain while eating and chewing
Jaw popping and clicking
Pain is not only your jaw but your ear, head, and neck
Jaw locking
Muscle spasms
Much of the issues with TMJ can be solved by self-care and home remedies. While you should check with your doctor before starting any TMJ treatment plan, here are some resistance, stretching, and strengthening exercises you may be able to do to release TMJ pain:
Resistance
Look in the mirror. Open your mouth slowly. While you are opening your mouth, center your two front teeth with your bottom two. Repeat between 5 and 10 times.
Put a wooden pop stick between your top and bottom front teeth. Move your jaw slowly from side to side while holding the popsicle stick between your teeth.
Repeat exercise number two but instead of side to side, move your bottom jaw forward. Hold for 20 seconds. Repeat with your top jaw. During the movement, the item will rest between your back and front teeth.
For exercises two and three, if completed successfully with no pain, you can then use items with more thickness. As each “level” is completed successfully, you can continue to build upon thickness. For instance, start with a popsicle stick and move to a pen then a marker, etc.
Stretching
Open your mouth as wide as you can without it beginning to cause any pain. Then close your mouth. Repeat the exercise but only open your mouth half as wide. Continue the process to stretch your jaw muscles.
Place your tongue to the roof of your mouth, behind your front teeth. Apply slight pressure to your palette. With your tongue held there, slowly open and close your mouth. Repeat.
Put your index and middle fingers at the top/hinge of your jaw. Begin massaging downward. Massage down and then back up again.
Strengthening
Place your index finger and thumb on your chin’s center. Open your mouth slowly and put pressure on your chin with your two fingers. Hold your mouth open for approximately 3-5 seconds then close slowly while continuing to put pressure with your index finger and thumb. Repeat 3-5 times.
Open your mouth as wide as you can without it beginning to cause any pain. Push on the right side of your jaw with your right hand. After holding it for 10 seconds, return to the middle. Then do that with your left side and hold for another 10 seconds before returning to the middle.
Remember, these are supposed to be gentle exercises. If they are causing you pain, cease the exercise, limit the frequency, or lessen the pressure. To get started, make sure you complete them during a time you are most relaxed, sit upright, and start by doing these in front of the mirror until you are comfortable.
Ideally, these exercises help with:
Relaxing not only your jaw but your mind and body
Alleviating joint tension
Relieving muscle tension
Strengthening muscles and joints
Stretching
Broadening mouth open range
Helping your jaw to heal
Additional TMJ Pain Relief Tips
In addition to the exercises, there are additional things you can do that may add some additional relief. A combination of lifestyle changes and gentle exercises should help alleviate your TMJ pain, but you may need to check with your doctor for additional measures. In the meantime, try:
Maintaining good posture
Talk to your doctor about medication
Applying an ice pack for 20 minutes
Alternating between heat and ice
Avoiding foods that are hard to chew
Speak to your doctor about mouthguards
Do not bite your fingernails or bite on your teeth
Get a good night sleep (this is great for all overall health)
As always, check with your doctor before starting any treatment plans. However, people often have success with at-home remedies and exercises for their TMJ pain. Remember to be gentle with yourself (and your body) and that these exercises are not designed for immediate relief. Your jaw and muscles need time to strengthen so make sure you keep up on your exercise for long-term relief.
Contact Lifetime Dental Health for TMJ Treatment
We’re here to help! If you suspect your TMJ pain is from grinding your teeth at night, Dr. Love, Dr. DiDonato, or Dr. Barry may advise you to wear a custom night guard. These not only protect your teeth from unnecessary wear, but they can help relax muscles to relieve pain. Please call our office at 614-321-1887 or schedule an appointment online.
Are you experiencing pain in your mouth, ear, jaw, or the entire right or left side of your face? Do you feel pain when trying to chew or talk? Are you experiencing muscle spasms, locking joints and severe headaches? If you are undergoing one or more of these symptoms, you could be suffering from TMJ disorder.
Below we will discuss TMJ disorder, the causes, symptoms and treatment options.
What is TMJ?
TMJ, also known as the temporomandibular joint, is a hinge that connects at the joint of the jaw and the skull, connecting the temporal bone and lower jaw. There is a temporomandibular joint located on the left and right sides of your jaw. Its primary function is to allow the jaw bone to open and close when you are chewing and talking.
If the temporomandibular joints are working correctly, both will be functioning in harmony, without pain, when you are opening and closing your mouth.
What is TMJ Disorder?
TMJ disorder is when the joints are not working in synchronized motions as you are opening and closing your mouth. The joint may twist or slide when the jaw is making the open and close motions, causing pain to your mouth, jaw, face, or all three.
TMJ affects everyone differently; some people experience chronic pain in multiple areas, while others may not.
This condition is also known to be more common in women than in men.
What Causes TMJ Disorder?
It is exigent to determine the actual cause of TMJ disorder. Experts suggest that there are several reasons behind the origin of TMJ disorder, such as:
Genetics – Researchers have primarily looked at genes related to how people respond to stress, since stress is a possible cause for TMJ disorder. A genetic cause does not mean if your mother had TMJ disorder due to stress then you will too; it merely means your chances are a bit higher to develop TMJ disorder at some point.
Jaw Injury – This refers to any damage, such as high impact, to the jaw affecting temporomandibular joints.
Arthritis – Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints that can affect the function of the temporomandibular joints.
Osteoarthritis– This is known as a degenerative joint disease that causes the deterioration of cartilage.
Bruxism – Also known as grinding the teeth, bruxism primarily happens while a person is sleeping and can lead to inflammation and pain in the temporomandibular joints.
Clenching – This can take place while awake or sleep. Clenching of the teeth is closely linked to stress.
Physical Activity – Severe vigorous physical activity can cause TMJ disorder; this can also be associated with physical stress on the body.
What Are the Symptoms of TMJ Disorder?
As mentioned previously, most people that are suffering from TMJ disorder have pain in their mouth, ear, or jaw. They may also experience the locking or spasm of muscles.
Other symptoms include:
Difficulty opening/closing the mouth
Clicking or popping when opening/closing the mouth
Sensitive teeth
How Can I Treat TMJ Disorder?
There are a variety of treatment options available, depending on the level of pain you are experiencing and the cause of TMJ disorder.
The pain associated with TMJ disorder can generally be treated with over the counter medications, such as ibuprofen, however some people may experience more chronic pain and require prescription painkillers or muscle relaxers to alleviate the pain.
In some severe cases, surgery may be a treatment option, though surgery is never the firstrecommended treatment option.
Is It Possible to Avoid TMJ Disorder?
There are a few suggestions available to avoid TMJ disorder:
Take smaller bites when eating
Avoid chewing gum
Avoid biting hard objects (e.g. fingernails & pen lids)
Apply moist heat when experiencing muscle spasms
When Should I Seek Medical Care for TMJ Disorder?
Everyone’s case of TMJ is different, so knowing when to seek medical care will vary case to case. In most instances, TMJ disorder can be treated at home, however, if over the counter medications do not eliminate the pain then it is advised to seek medical care.
If a person’s jaw is stuck in the open or closed position, it is advised to seek immediate medical care as well.
I Think I Have TMJ Disorder – Is It Permanent?
TMJ disorder is not considered a permanent condition. TMJ generally goes away with the appropriate treatment, but the disorder can come back in times of stress or if reinjured.
Be sure to follow up with a medical professional and follow the treatment plan you have in place.
Contact us at Lifetime Dental Health at 614-333-9442, our professional dental staff will be more than happy to assist you with your dental concerns.
Are you experiencing pain in your mouth, ear, jaw, or the entire right or left side of your face? Do you feel pain when trying to chew or talk? Are you experiencing muscle spasms, locking joints and severe headaches? 
It is exigent to determine the actual cause of TMJ disorder. Experts suggest that there are several reasons behind the origin of TMJ disorder, such as: