Dental Botox: What Is It Used For?

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Dental Botox

Dental botox is an excellent option for treating a variety of serious dental and medical issues despite the fact that it is more known for its use for combating wrinkles, plastic surgery and other cosmetic issues. Botox treatments are the most commonly performed minimally invasive cosmetic procedure in North America. In many cases of botox dentistry the use may be cosmetic but, in others, its application is therapeutic. Dentists use botox for a range of conditions that can help improve your health and your appearance.

How Does Botox Work?

Botox is a trade name for botulinum toxin, which comes in the form of a purified protein. How botox works is really quite simple. Botox is injected into the facial muscles but really doesn’t affect the muscle at all. Botulinum toxin effects and blocks the transmitters between the motor nerves that stimulate the muscle. There is no loss of sensory feeling in the muscles. Once the motor nerve endings are interrupted, the muscle cannot contract. When the muscle is unable to contract, areas that were previously tense or overactive from either stress or overuse get a break.

How Can Botox Treatment Help Me?

Botox, commonly associated with wrinkle treatment and plastic surgery, can provide several dental health benefits that most aren’t aware of.  If you are dealing with any of the following issues, dental botox treatment can help you:

  • headache pain resulting from muscle tension in the head, face, and neck
  • headaches resulting from bite issues such as TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint) Syndrome
  • persistent clenching and grinding of the teeth
  • “gummy” smiles due to over-retracted upper lips
  • upside-down smiles (as it takes more muscles to frown compared to smiling)
  • lip lines and puckered chins

Precise and Natural Results

A dentist’s’ training and experience makes them experts of the muscle and bone architecture of the face, allowing them to provide you with precise and natural looking results.  Dentists have more advanced training in the oral and maxillofacial areas (that means the face from chin to forehead) than just about any other healthcare professional. Lip lines, puckered chins and upside down or gummy smiles, need precise treatment so that the correct facial muscles are treated.  Precision yields beautiful, natural, relaxed, youthful results rather than the frozen, strange, or awkward alternatives. Dentists are able to deliver that for you.

Teeth Grinding and the Power of Botox

Chronic teeth grinding (a common condition often triggered by stress) can cause head, neck, and jaw pain, and can severely damage natural teeth and dental work if it is not addressed. Botox relaxes the contributing muscles providing relief from the pain and symptoms you are experiencing while retaining the natural look and health of your smile. The dentists at Glacier Creek Dental use a therapeutic grade botox for your treatment.  This form of botox contains a natural toxin that relaxes and immobilizes, which makes it an ideal treatment for conditions that are caused by overactive or tensed muscles caused by emotional stress.

TMJ and Dental Botox

Botox has important clinical uses as an adjunct in TMJ and bruxism cases, and for patients with chronic TMJ and facial pain. Botox is also used to complement esthetic dentistry cases, as a minimally invasive alternative to surgically treating high lip line cases, denture patients who have trouble adjusting to new dentures, lip augmentation, and has uses in orthodontic cases where retraining of the facial muscles is necessary. No other healthcare provider has the capability to help patients in so many areas as do dentists.

What To Expect with Dental Botox Treatment

Dental botox treatment can be done in our office in a matter of minutes. It is a simple procedure with minimal discomfort.  The botox is given in a simple injection.  The toxin is delivered in combination with sterile saline to the targeted muscles in the face.  A member of our Glacier Creek Dental team will go over with you what you should do and what you should avoid after treatment.  We recommend that you not lie down during the first four hours after the injections are administered. During the first 24 hours after the procedure, you must take care to avoid the following:

  • sun exposure
  • exercise
  • facials, microdermabrasion
  • activities that can cause skin flushing (i.e. massage, sauna, tanning, alcohol consumption)
  • wearing makeup (if you must wear makeup, use sterile makeup instead)

Is Botox Dangerous?

Although very unlikely, it’s possible for the effect of botulinum toxin to spread to other parts of the body and cause botulism-like signs and symptoms. Call a member of our team if you start to experience any flu-like symptoms, headache or redness at the area of injection. Though dental botox is an overwhelmingly safe and effective treatment, it is not appropriate for patients who are: pregnant or breastfeeding; sick with a bacterial or viral infection; suffering from sleep apnea; or are afflicted with any form of dermatitis on the face (eczema, rosacea, etc). Botox is not a permanent treatment. It typically lasts between 3-4 months.

Learn What Botox Can Do For You

If you would like to know more about the dental botox treatments we offer, or if you want to place an appointment, call Family & Cosmetic Dentistry of the Rockies today at (970) 267-0993. If you need to reach us after regular business hours, you can also send a contact request or make an appointment online at your convenience below.