Is Botox the Answer to Teeth Grinding?

Famed for its wrinkle reducing abilities, Botox or Botulinum Toxin is arguably the most popular cosmetic treatment on the market. But did you know it that Botox has been proven effective for a variety of medical issues, including neck spasms, migraines, sweating, overactive bladder, lazy eye and teeth grinding.

I’ve been receiving botox in my frown lines every six months for almost 6 years now (minus a two year gap when I was pregnant and breast feeding). And whilst tension headaches weren’t my original reason for succumbing to the needle (despite what I may have told my other half!), it’s ability to reduce them has been a surprising benefit. So when a press release dropped in my inbox singing the praises of masseter botox, I was intrigued.

Dismissing it as trivial matter, somewhat similar to nail biting, I had never given much thought to the impacts of teeth grinding or jaw clenching. Then covid hit and the stress of a world wide pandemic, combined with a new born baby and a couple of impacted wisdom teeth (resulting in some pretty nasty dental surgery), left me clenching my jaw as though the world depended on it.

Starting as a constant dull ache in my jaw, as the lockdowns rolled on and the clenching progressed (in strength and frequency), so did the pain. Gradually working its way up into my temples, until I was left in a constant state of aggravation, surviving on ibuprofen with little patience for anyone, let alone three young children. With mouth-guards failing to produce any significant results, I knew it was time to take further action. Which takes us back to that email on masseter botox.

What Is Masseter Botox?

For those of us who have’t looked at a biology book since school, the masseter is a triangle-shaped muscle that extends from under your cheekbone to below your jaw. Helping you chew your food, it is one of the most essential muscles in your whole body, it’s also the strongest muscle and the muscle that gets activated whenever you are feeling stressed or disregulated, causing teeth grinding and/or teeth clenching. People who grind their teeth or hold tension in their jaw tend to have an overdeveloped masseter muscle, resulting in a square look to their jawline and further clenching or grinding. And so, the never ending cycle of clenching, strengthen and pain begins.

One of the best ways to put a stop to the cycle of grinding and the subsequential strengthening of your masseter muscle, is through the use of a neuromodulator like Botox. By injecting botox into your jaw muscles, the muscles are temporarily paralysed, reducing your abilities to clench and weakening the muscles over time. Its a delicate balance. Too little botox and you won’t feel the effect but too much and your risk causing problems with eating. Which is why going to a qualified doctor or dentist with a good understanding of facial anatomy is crucial.

Benefits of MASSETER Botox

• Relives jaw tension

• Decreases pain from teeth grinding and jaw clenching

• Eliminates tension headaches

• Slims the face

Where Did We Go?

Passionate about delivering the highest standard of care for her patients, Dr Sheila is a cosmetic dentist specialising in full facial rejuvenation. A Multi-Award Winner, winning both Aesthetic Dentistry and Dentistry Awards, Dr Shelia focuses on ensuring her patients age gracefully, taking a conservative approach and using only natural looking treatments to enhance her clients beauty rather than change it.

With three London locations to choose from, including Wimpole St and Primrose Hill, I decided to stop by her Harley Street clinic to find out if masseter botox is really the answer I’ve been looking for.

As is standard procedure for these kind of appointments we begin with a consolation, discussing why I am there, pain levels and what I think might be the reason behind it. Next, Dr Sheila physically examines my jaw, focusing in on my masseter muscles, as well as assessing the rest of my facial structure. She confirms that not only do my masseter muscles look and feel enlarged but it is also affecting tension in my other facial muscles, which is why I have been experiencing temple headaches.

As we continue chatting, Dr.Sheila reveals that she has been seeing more patients complaining of jaw pain and tension headaches than ever before, following the covid pandemic and that the use of masseter botox for treatments had been showing impressive results.

What Doe The Treatment Involve?

Laying back on the clinic bed, Dr Shelia begins by marking out her injection points in preparation for injecting botox into my forehead, to ease upper facial tension (reducing tension headaches) and improve the appearance of my frown lines, before moving on to my jaw. Now this is where it gets a little more uncomfortable.

The masseter muscle is lager and stronger than the muscles in the forehead, which means the needle needs to be injected significantly deeper in order to produce results. It is also why it is so important to go to someone with actual medical qualification. Thankfully Dr Shelia is extremely practised at the procedure, working swiftly to minimising any unnecessary discomfort. For those with a low pain threshold numbing cream is available, although I wouldn’t say it is necessity.

All over in a matter of minutes, Dr Shelia tells me to come back in three months time for a top up, followed by six monthly appointments.

Is There Any Downtime?

Similar to skin booster and filler, the down time is pretty much nonexistent. Some soreness from the injection points and maybe a bit bruising, other than that, you can pretty much go as you came. Just don’t expect immediate results. Botox takes between seven and fourteen days to kick in on average but when it finally does you’ll know about it.

Eating, was a little more interesting. For the first couple of weeks I found my jaw tiring if munching on anything for more than a few minutes however this was relatively short lived and around week three I was able chomp away without a thought.

Of course the main benefit of this weakening effect, is that forces you out or the habit of clenching and grinding, simply because it just not that easy to do. It’s worth noting that as the botox wears off, your ability to clench and grind increases, so its important to remain conscious about what your jaw is doing until the habit if fully broken. It is also why Dr Shelia recommends a three month top up.

What Did We Think?

It may sound dramatic but the results were life changing. After days of waiting for the botox to kick in, I went to bed with my usual jaw pain and tension headaches and woke up the next morning feeling normal!

Of course I say it happened over night, in reality it was probably more of a gradual build up and it was only when the botox had fully kicked in, that I noticed it. Either way, I was happy. Because when you’ve been suffering for over a year, to be pain free really is life changing.

Another effect of masseter botox, currently trending on TikTok, is its ability to slim the face. While not a look desired by everyone and one admittedly at first, I wasn’t so sure about myself - the reduction in muscle left me with looser skin and more noticeable jowls, something Dr. Shelia did speak about pria to the treatment. A few skin tightening sessions later and I just might be warming to my new slighter jawline.

To find out more or to book your consultation for Masseter Botox with Dr. Shelia visit drsheila.co.uk