Bruxism & TMJ Injection Treatments
- Wix Mr Bin
- Jan 9, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: May 27
This article is intended to give honest and clear advice to our readers and does not promote prescription products. In order to help educate the public about teeth grinding correction with wrinkle relaxing injections, we’ve put together this information to explain the possible risks and clarify the side effects.
The Stress of Everyday Life really has lot to answer for. It is well documented that stress-induced teeth grinding increases TMJ problems. Not surprisingly, the demand for TMJ, Jaw Clenching & Teeth Grinding injections is on the increase.
JAWLINE TREATMENTS
In our clinics, we are seeing lots of patients with tense Masseter muscles who complain of heavy looking jowls and wider looking jaws.
Many are now having Anti-Wrinkle injections into their Masseter muscles & find them to be a great help. Especially if their jaw clenching occurs during their work day due to prolonged periods deep concentration.
The anti wrinkle injections temporarily relieves the tension in their jaw and helps prevents clenching of their teeth.
Anti-Wrinkle Treatment for TMJ + Masseter Muscle Reduction and Jawline Correction
Anti-Wrinkle Treatments can help treat symptoms of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders. You may benefit most from this treatment if other methods haven’t worked
The neurotoxin is injected into your jaw muscles, forehead and often your temple depending on your symptoms. The injections cause the jaw muscles to have a limited function which can bring pain relief and decrease your symptoms. The results should last for 4 months.
BRUXISM v TMJ
Bruxism is a condition where people are grinding and clenching their teeth, mostly at night
TMJ (temporomandibular joints) is a disorder of the jaw joints.
TMJ and Bruxism have similar symptoms headaches, jaw pain, facial pain, neck pain, sensitive teeth, ear pain, worn teeth, and painful jaw movement. They don’t always go hand in hand , but sometimes they can.
TMJ is caused by an imbalance in your jaw joints. Prolonged teeth grinding can wear down your teeth so much that you may develop an imbalanced jaw. Conversely, the stress of the pain from TMJ can cause you to grind your teeth more often to offset the pain.
COSMETIC EFFECT -A Slimmer Jawline !
Anti Wrinkle injections into the Masseter muscle take away the square look to the angle of your jaw and soften the look of your lower face.
After 3-4 weeks, your jawline should appear slightly slimmer, as your jaw is not so clenched and inflamed.
“If you repeatedly inject an enlarged Masseter for jaw clenching, the muscle will shrink in size and this creates the jawline slimming effect.” says Dr. Mark Hamilton.
HOW THE TREATMENT WORKS
Injections are carefully placed into the Masseter muscle (the muscle that runs down your cheek which is responsible for chewing as well as opening & closing your jaw).
Dr. Hamilton will inject approx 40- 50 units of toxin into your jaw muscle (20- 25 units on each side of your face).
The treatment will takes 15 minutes & does not hurt – just a slight pinching sensation.
There’s no downtime.
POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS
As with any type of aesthetic treatment, side effects are always possible but rare when in the hands of an expert injector. The most common ones are :
Temporary mild discomfort at injections sites
Low risk of bruising
Possible Redness for a few hours
Slight swelling for several hours
RARE ADDITIONAL SIDE EFFECTS
Decrease in chewing force: Your jaw muscles might feel weaker than before and you may have a harder time chewing and biting down.
Asymmetrical smile: If the injections are placed too far forward, they can affect muscles controlling facial expression instead of the masseter muscle itself, resulting in asymmetry
Dry mouth: If the injection is accidentally injected into nearby salivary glands, you might experience dry mouth, which can last for a couple of weeks.
Bulging: If the Anti-wrinkle injection is only injected into one area of muscle causing half of the masseter muscle is relaxed, this could result in bulging when the mouth is closed & your teeth are clenched. This can easily be fixed with follow-up injections
PRICES
Bruxism Injections Cost €350/ £250, when having Facial Anti Wrinkle Injections or Facial Dermal Fillers.
Stand alone treatment Costs €500/ £450
TMJ injections cost €420/ £280, when having Facial Anti Wrinkle Injections or Facial Dermal Fillers.
As a stand alone treatment the cost is €550/ £450
RESULTS
Relief of your symptoms does not occur immediately. Over the 2 weeks after your injections you will notice far less jaw tension. Jaw clenching will still happen but not at the high tension level it was.
You should sleep better at night due to less grinding.
Effects should last 3- 6 months. The treatment needs to be repeated when the grinding starts again.
WHAT NOT TO DO AFTER YOUR INJECTIONS
Do not rub or massage the treated area.
Avoid sleeping on your face the first night.
Do not partake in any strenuous activity for 24 hrs.
Avoid excessive alcohol consumption for 24hrs.
Scientists have found that many people experienced increased teeth grinding and pain during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is most likely due to the stress and anxiety
Certain self-help measures like stress reduction and mindfulness may help
Night time mouth guards can also give relief
