Botox for Masseters/TMJ

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes I went to Dr Patel in Chevy Chase. Oral surgeon. It broke the pattern for me and I haven’t needed to go back, even tho it’s technically worn off

How much did it cost? Did your health insurance cover it?

I did it on Europe, using Dysport and I needed a huge dose because I have hard core bruxism. It's incredibly $$$ here (you need around 60 units at $300/each) and not covered by insurance. I paid $300 there and it worked amazingly well, although I'm still wearing my retainer at night. As a bonus, it really slimmed my jaw and also lifted the lower part of my face, including the chin area, which I love. I went to a cosmetic dermatologist (MD) who does only fillers and injections. You'd need to repeat the treatment every 6 months.

Who was the MD derm? Thanks!

sorry, MD like in medical doctor, not the state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did dry needling (painful), acupuncture, bite guard, oral manual PT, all of it

Only thing that helped was Botox

It was out of pocket and expensive. But a year later and I haven’t needed it again, so worth it to me

I’ve done the mouth guard and PT and it’s not really helped. Who did you see for Botox?

Dr Patel in Chevy chase. Oral surgeon

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did physical therapy for a similar situation and it helped me to recognize when I was clenching. I'd probably try that before Botox, but I'm pretty hesitant in general about injections of toxins.

OP here. Thank you!

I’m very anti-Botox in my face. I just don’t see the need to inject poison into my face for superficial reasons. This is actually affecting my bite- when I bite down my canines touch first and not my molars- and that’s part of the issue we are trying to correct. I hadn’t even thought of PT. I’ll look into that. Thank you!

You're welcome. Also two separate doctors and a physical therapist I saw said not to get a mouth guard. I was mostly clenching from stress that became a nightly habit band they said their patients often get worse using a night guard because it feels good to bite down on it. PT plus changing a stressful job situation plus exercises worked for me. I did the exercises daily for a couple months but now only do them when I'm feeling stress in my face/jaw. I hope you get relief!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did physical therapy for a similar situation and it helped me to recognize when I was clenching. I'd probably try that before Botox, but I'm pretty hesitant in general about injections of toxins.

OP here. Thank you!

I’m very anti-Botox in my face. I just don’t see the need to inject poison into my face for superficial reasons. This is actually affecting my bite- when I bite down my canines touch first and not my molars- and that’s part of the issue we are trying to correct. I hadn’t even thought of PT. I’ll look into that. Thank you!

You're welcome. Also two separate doctors and a physical therapist I saw said not to get a mouth guard. I was mostly clenching from stress that became a nightly habit band they said their patients often get worse using a night guard because it feels good to bite down on it. PT plus changing a stressful job situation plus exercises worked for me. I did the exercises daily for a couple months but now only do them when I'm feeling stress in my face/jaw. I hope you get relief!

OP again

Thanks for that! This is very helpful. I am finishing Invisalign and wearing the aligners seems to have made the issue worse. Because I am wearing them at night a night guard isn’t a real solution so I’m glad to have other options to explore. Thanks again!

[Anonymous]

Neurologist can do it. So can ENT or oral surgery.

[Anonymous]

I’ve done it. If you are anti botox beware that it will slim down your lower face. That’s actually why I do it! It’s awesome and it will stop you from clenching and grinding. Unfortunately the botox wears off in 2-4 months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did physical therapy for a similar situation and it helped me to recognize when I was clenching. I'd probably try that before Botox, but I'm pretty hesitant in general about injections of toxins.

OP here. Thank you!

I’m very anti-Botox in my face. I just don’t see the need to inject poison into my face for superficial reasons. This is actually affecting my bite- when I bite down my canines touch first and not my molars- and that’s part of the issue we are trying to correct. I hadn’t even thought of PT. I’ll look into that. Thank you!

You're welcome. Also two separate doctors and a physical therapist I saw said not to get a mouth guard. I was mostly clenching from stress that became a nightly habit band they said their patients often get worse using a night guard because it feels good to bite down on it. PT plus changing a stressful job situation plus exercises worked for me. I did the exercises daily for a couple months but now only do them when I'm feeling stress in my face/jaw. I hope you get relief!

Maybe the soft ones feel good to bite but my hard acrylic one does not!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve done it. If you are anti botox beware that it will slim down your lower face. That’s actually why I do it! It’s awesome and it will stop you from clenching and grinding. Unfortunately the botox wears off in 2-4 months.

How much do you pay?

[Anonymous]

$13 per unit but the units add up especially in that area

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:$13 per unit but the units add up especially in that area

How many of them? Is this with Dr. Patel?

[Anonymous]

No I go to a regular Aesthetician. I’m wondering if you may be able to get insurance to cover it through Dr. Patel. It would be worth asking. I had 15 units (5 on one side and 10 on the other) last time but it had not completely worn off. Depending on your case, you could expect up to 15 or 20 on each side. I would start with the minimum they recommended. You can always add more but can’t take it away. It will build up for about 2 weeks at which time you will feel (and see) the full effect. Then it will very gradually diminish over time.

[Anonymous]

OP, can you write back with your experience? I clenched/ ground my teeth a lot before Invisalign but I’m convinced it took it to the next level. That said my teeth move if I don’t wear my retainers for 2 nights in a row.

[Anonymous]

Check out Dr. Satey for this. He's a licensed cosmetic surgeon in Los Angeles, and has a ton of experience with this. ((im speaking from experience))

[Anonymous]

You should try yoga. There are stretches specifally for your necknyou can do, but overall yoga can heal you from the inside out first. Give it a year, then look at more invasive treatments. You might be surprised. *smiles*