Botox Treatment
Look And Feel Your Best
What is Botox and
How Does it Work?
Botox is an abbreviation for botulinum toxin-A. It is a purified protein neuromodulator that temporarily relaxes targeted muscles. Botox be used for facial esthetics by reducing fine lines and wrinkles.
Botulinum toxin is injected into muscles and blocks the nerve that tells the muscle to contract. The effects depend on the dose administered.
For esthetics, some muscles are dosed so they cannot move anymore, such as when treating frown lines. Some are dosed to retain some movement, while still reducing fine lines.
The effects of botulinum toxin wear off over time as the body breaks it down. This typically occurs after three months initially, and up to four to six months with repeated treatment.
Botox for TMD and Myofacial Pain
In addition to esthetics, botox can be used for the treatment of conditions such as bruxism, myofacial pain, headaches, and clenching.
The targeted muscles are dosed so that the force of contraction is reduced, but the muscles still can move and function. This minimizes the powerful forces that cause the pain, while still allowing proper chewing and speaking function.
Also, by reducing the force of contraction in the clenching muscles, the teeth are indirectly protected.
In addition to the botox helping to relax overactive muscles, the injection technique itself also helps to relieve facial pain by breaking up the knots or “trigger points” in the muscles. Breaking up these knots helps muscles that are stuck in contraction to relax.
This therapy option gives a minimally invasive solution to treat the source of this pain and to minimize destructive forces on the teeth.
Call us today to discuss if botox treatment is right for you!