What Dental Treatments Can Botox Help?

Everyone loves having a gorgeous smile they can be proud of. And why wouldn’t we? Your smile is often the first thing people notice about you when you first meet. As dental and other medical professionals enhance their knowledge and learn more from research, they discover more ways to support our oral health. We now have more treatment options when visiting the dentist than ever before.

Traditionally, Botox was used by medical professionals for cosmetic procedures. However, as medicine advances and specialists have learned more, Botox has expanded into the dental industry to be used for its therapeutic benefits as well. Many dentists across the nation are now using this injection as an alternative treatment option for many dental issues their patients experience. Discover some new things about Botox and the potential conditions it helps treat.

Understanding the Benefits of Botox for Dental Treatments

Botulinum toxin, better known as Botox, is an injection that helps relax the nerve endings that cause muscle spasms. It’s often used for cosmetic facial procedures, but it can also be used to support dental treatments.

If you’ve tried other treatment options and are looking for a minimally invasive alternative to certain dental issues, your dental specialist may recommend this treatment. He or she will work with you to create a comprehensive dental plan in which Botox can be used to support the treatment for various conditions that cause symptoms such as teeth grinding, jaw clenching, and headaches.

How can Botox help with TMJ?

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a sliding hinge that connects your jawbone to your skull. If this joint becomes dysfunctional, patients often have trouble chewing food and may experience clicking and locking of their jaw. Dentists have named this condition temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD).

Many patients visit their dentist when they experience pain and other uncomfortable TMD symptoms. Often caused by teeth clenching and grinding, this condition causes pain in the jaw and facial muscles, which can result in headaches or earaches.

Botox can help relieve the pain that stems from TMD, as well as reduce the muscle spasms that result from clenching the jaws. Because TMD symptoms usually occur in certain trigger points in the face, many dentists use trigger point injections to relieve pain and reduce tension for their patients in those specific areas. Depending on the severity of symptoms and the dosage prescribed, patients can get relief with Botox for three to four months.

How can Botox help with bruxism?

Bruxism is a term that describes general grinding and clenching of the teeth. Dentists aren’t completely sure why this occurs in their patients, but it is often associated with high levels of stress. Bruxism can have many effects on a patient’s oral health, like damaging the teeth, worsening symptoms of periodontal disease, and potentially causing TMD. Like TMD, bruxism is also associated with symptoms like headaches or earaches.

Dentists often use Botox to treat Bruxism. It can help relieve muscle spasms or muscle tension that results from clenching the jaws, and in turn, it can help relieve the facial pain many patients experience.

How can Botox support orthodontic therapy?

Orthodontists undergo extensive training to learn about the anatomy and structure of the face. This includes knowing and understanding the location of a patient’s nerves and muscles. They utilize this knowledge of facial anatomy when planning orthodontic treatment and the realignment of teeth.

However, relapse can happen if orthodontists don’t properly consider the facial muscles after orthodontic treatment is complete. This can cause hyperactive muscles in the face and disrupt the recent alignment of the teeth. If this occurs, Botox can help relieve that muscle tension or potential spasms, as well as any teeth grinding or clenching that occurs after teeth realignment.

How can Botox support cosmetic dental procedures?

Most patients’ reason for visiting a dentist in the first place is to achieve a bright, white smile. In addition to undergoing preventative dental care, many patients are also scheduling appointments for regular cosmetic procedures like teeth whitening and veneers to improve their smiles. After you visit your dentist for these cosmetic procedures, you’ll be sure to want to show off your smile to everyone you encounter.

Dentists are recommending Botox treatments to patients to help support and enhance their cosmetic procedures. It can help compliment the appearance of your teeth when smiling. Botox can be used to eliminate the wrinkles around your mouth, as well as heighten your lips when you smile. Show off more of those pearly whites when you get Botox after your teeth whitening procedure.

Contact Us for Botox Treatments Today

Botox is a new and little-known treatment that can assist in more than just cosmetic facial procedures. It can help you with many dental issues you may be experiencing. Just ask your dentist at your next checkup!

If you’re interested in learning more about Botox for dental treatments and you’d like to know how these treatments can benefit you, call our practice today! Our experienced and certified Botox dentists are here to help create a personalized treatment plan just for you.