In this case, I was hoping to soothe my case of temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD).
More specifically, that I had it and needed to do something about it.
What Is TMD?
@gouldhallie
First was the obvious conclusion: I grind my teeth.
And her answer to my concern was far from what I expected: Botox.
Keep reading to learn how jaw Botox worked to relieve my TMD symptoms.
Meet the Experts
What Is Jaw Botox?
“It works by immobilizing the muscles causing the TMD symptoms,” she says.
So how does it work, exactly?
In a couple different ways.
Benefits of Jaw Botox
“I recommendinjecting Botoxinto themassetermuscle,” says Goodman.
“A lot of people think mouth guards help, but these only protect against your teeth.”
Botox works to relieve that jaw tension and pain, she told me.
“It can also form from grinding your teeth with a misaligned bite.
“The injections go into the masseter muscle,” says Liotta.
“The masseter muscle is one of the muscles activated during chewing.
It’s located at the angle of the jaw.
I usually start with 50 units of botox (25 units on each side).
It takes five minutes.”
It’s also important to heed doctor’s orders after receiving jaw Botox.
And take into account that the effects won’t be immediateand they will eventually wear off.
“Additional treatments are necessary after a few months,” says Carroll.
The Final Takeaway
I didn’t notice any difference for the first few weeks.
I was grinding, clenching, and getting my usual tension headaches, which Liotta explained would likely happen.
But then something new happened.
In the coming weeks, I started to notice far less clenching.
It still happens but not at every moment of the day (as it was previously).
I’m super happy with the results and can’t wait for the pain to continue to lessen.
I’ll keep you updated.
Typically, insurance will not cover Botox for jaw clenching, but it varies from plan to plan.
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