What is Teeth Grinding (Bruxism)?
Bruxism is a common oral condition that affects a large majority of people. It causes people to grind their teeth and often clench their jaw. It happens primarily during sleep, even during naps or gentle dozing, but can also happen when you are awake. A common treatment is Botox for teeth grinding. In this blog, we will explain how this works.
Who Has a Higher Risk of Teeth Grinding?
If you are enduring any of the following issues listed below, you could be more at risk of developing bruxism:
- Suffer from snoring
- Talking in your sleep
- Aggressive movements during sleep
- Sleep disorders
- Smokers
- Large alcoholic intakes
- Stressful lifestyles e.g. work, home or school
Symptoms of bruxism
Here are some signs that you may have bruxism:
- Headache
- Facial pain
- Gum pain
- Chipped teeth
- Aching muscles in the face
- Problems eating or chewing
- Grinding noises
How is Botox used for Teeth Grinding?
The Botox is injected into a point called the ‘temporomandibular joint‘ (TMJ) which is located where the jawbone meets the skull. It is used when eating, chewing, swallowing, talking and other daily activities. It can become displaced or overworked through excessive teeth grinding.
Botox for teeth grinding is a quick, straightforward, and non-surgical procedure that takes around 10–15 minutes per session. Its results last between 3–6 months, but if you want the effects of the Botox to last longer, the treatment will need to be repeated multiple times. Some people notice a change with a few days, but it can take up towards a week to feel relief from bruxism.
Here at Refine, our best-selling Botox for teeth grinding is Allergen.
What is Allergan Botox?
Allergen Botox is widely known for its cosmetic benefits, but can also help ease the symptoms that come with bruxism. It is a prescription only product that is used for intramuscular injections.
It can be used for the following:
- Moderate to severe crow’s feet lines (lines that form on the outer corner of the eyes)
- Moderate to severe glabellar lines (vertical lines between the eyebrows)
- Moderate to severe forehead lines or frown lines
- The under arms to treat hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating)
- Bruxism (teeth grinding)
The following groups of people who should not use Allergen Botox are:
- Patients who have bleeding disorders of any type.
- Patients who have generalised disorders of muscle activity, e.g. myasthenia gravis.
- Individuals with a known hypersensitivity to any component of the formulation.
- Pregnant or lactating women should not use Botox at any point.
- Please make your physician aware of any hypersensitivity, allergies, infections, or immune diseases before using this product.
Some side effects that you may suffer from are:
- Trouble swallowing
- Muscle weakness, or stiffness
- Bruising, redness, swelling or pain at the injection site
- Headache
- Tiredness
