Botox for Masseters/TMJ

[Anonymous]

My dentist mentioned that grind my teeth and have very very tight masters at my jaw. He suggested Botox in my jaw as a potential treatment. Has anyone had this done for grinding/TMJ? Who did this? I assume dentist or oral surgeon?

The little bit of googling I’ve done it seems fairly life changing for some people. I have consistent headaches and jaw pain and have tried night guards with no success

[Anonymous]

Talk to a neurologist.

[Anonymous]

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

[Anonymous]

Try curable pain app and books by Dr. John Sarno - worked for me.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

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?

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

PS the PT was very very weird, someone reaching a gloved hand in my mouth to loosen the muscles with massage. But it only took a couple sessions and gave me good exercises to do on my own and break the bad habits. It was covered by insurance (just a copay). I'd recommend my PT, but he moved. Not all PTs do this kind of work.

[Anonymous]

You might want to figure out why you’re clenching in addition to seeking treatment for the muscles. Echo the recommendation of PT or finding a massage or chiro who does intraoral work

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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!

[Anonymous]

Try a PT that uses dry needling. That may be enough to relax your muscles without Botox.

[Anonymous]

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

[Anonymous]

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?

[Anonymous]

botox has been the one thing that has worked after trying PT, dentist made night guard and massage.
Nothing else worked. My insurance doesn't cover it but I only have to go once every 3-4 months.

[Anonymous]

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!