When you think of Botox you commonly think of cosmetic procedures on the face. Although Botox is great for reducing fine lines and wrinkles it has many other non-cosmetic purposes. One of these is to treat temporomandibular joint disorder or commonly referred to as TMJ.
TMJ occurs in the jaws, the temporomandibular joint acts as a sliding hinge, connecting your jawbone to your skull. Dysfunction can lead to pain and discomfort, Jaw pain, difficulty chewing, and clicking and locking of the jaw joint are some of the symptoms.
This can be a very painful disorder for anyone who suffers from it, patients often complain about pain at night, pain when eating and pain during stressful situations. There is no cure for TMJ although there are methods that can be taken to ensure pain is reduced so patients living with TMJ can experience a healthy lifestyle.
Sometimes it might be so severe that Surgery is recommended. This should be a last resort for patients as there are other options such as Jaw exercises, Soft Diets, and Botox! Botox is a neuromodulator that can ease the pain and tension of TMJ.
When injected near and around the Jaw-bone botox acts as a prevention to jaw clenching, teeth grinding and can even help with headaches that are often associated with TMJ. We have been using Botox for many purposes outside of aesthetics here at MetroMD.
If you have any questions regarding Botox for alternative treatments feel free to reach out to us at 323-285-5300!
