Botox and Dermal Fillers
Botox is a neurotoxin that comes from clostridium botulinum, an organism found in nature’s soil, forests, bodies of water, and animals. Although a toxin, it’s safe when administered by a licensed professional.
Botox is used to dramatically decrease the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines on the face and neck. It works to reduce the appearance and prevent worsening of existing wrinkles but seeking treatment earlier can help to slow the formation of wrinkles as well. The treatment lasts for roughly three months. While Botox is used mainly for cosmetic purposes, it is also used medically for the treatment of excessive sweating, muscular disorders, and migraines.
Wrinkles form as the muscles beneath the skin move. Over time, the muscles’ repetitive motion creates permanent creases, or wrinkles, in the overlying skin. When Botox is injected into your muscles, it prevents nerve signals from reaching your muscles. This causes the muscle to soften and relax because it can no longer contract. As muscle action begins to return after a few months, the procedure is once again necessary.
The Botox procedure takes just a few minutes as a small needle injects the neurotoxin into specified muscles. There is little discomfort, so the treatment requires no anesthesia. Like Botox, dermal fillers inject a substance under your skin to help you look younger. They are volumizers injected into areas on your skin that have sunken or wrinkled. They can be injected into areas near the lips, nose, cheeks, and other facial areas. When a lack of volume causes sunken cheeks, deep creases, or thin lips, dermal fillers are helpful. Dermal fillers help fill creases and fine lines that are caused by a loss of volume, while Botox calms the muscles that cause wrinkles.
What is Bruxism?
Bruxism is the medical term for unconscious teeth clenching and grinding, either while awake or asleep, which can lead to physical painful and severe dental problems. Chronic teeth grinding can cause headaches, earaches, facial pain, and even migraines. Dental problems from bruxism include loss of tooth enamel, increased tooth sensitivity, and flattening and/or chipping of the teeth. Bruxism sufferers who grind and clench their teeth while sleeping frequently wake up with a sore jaw. Hypertrophy of the masseter muscle, which may lead to the appearance of a severe square jaw, is another side effect of bruxism. Treatments with Botulinum Toxin Type A., commonly known as botulinum toxin, can provide tremendous relief from jaw soreness, headaches, and other unpleasant problems associated with Bruxism. Botulinum toxin treatments for Bruxism can also soften the appearance of the jawline.
Botulinum Toxin vs. Conventional Bruxism Treatments
Recently, botulinum toxin has proven to be an ideal treatment option for targeting and treating excessive muscle activity and spasticity. Many other treatments, such as anti-inflammatory medications and dental devices, do not address the source of the problem. Although dental devices can successfully protect teeth from damage at night for bruxism sufferers, they are ineffective in stopping the painful side effects of teeth grinding.
By injecting small doses of botulinum toxin directly into the masseter muscle (the large muscle that moves the jaw), 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. Voluntary movements, such as chewing and facial expressions, are not affected at all by Botox.
Although botulinum toxin injections are not a cure for bruxism, they can effectively control the uncomfortable symptoms for some patients. Botulinum toxin used for treating bruxism typically lasts for three to four months.
