Using Botox in Dental Procedures

Water Tower Dental Care is pleased to announce that we’re offering Botox solutions to help with certain dental issues.

You read that right: Botox for dental issues.

For many years, people have associated Botox with plastic surgeons and the removal of wrinkles and fine lines from the face. What many people don’t know is that Botox has been medically approved for many different therapeutic uses, including dentistry.

Botox is a neurotoxin otherwise known as “bacterium clostridium botulinm”. Basically, it’s a naturally occurring toxin that has been rendered completely safe to use on human beings. In plastic surgery applications, the botulinm toxin paralyzes muscles and wrinkles, thereby removing them and giving the face a more youthful appearance.

For dental applications, Botox has been shown to give very promising results in managing certain dental conditions such as TMJ, gummy smiles, and headaches. Many aesthetic dental conditions can also be treated.

Here are just some of the conditions that our new Botox application can help treat:

Gummy Smiles

For those people whose gums show rather prominently when they smile, Botox can help treat this embarrassing issue. It is injected into the upper lip so that it covers your gums when you smile. The entire process takes around 20 minutes and does not require any recovery time. The best part of this procedure is that it doesn’t take many vials of Botox, so the cost is rather low.

Gummy smiles in and of themselves do not indicate that something is medically wrong. The main reason people look to get them treated is because a gummy smile has been linked to low self-confidence, and detrimental effects upon a person’s social and professional life.

There are no side effects from this procedure. It can take up to 7 days for the full results to appear. This is due to how Botox works – it takes time for it to work itself completely into the muscles and relax them.

TMJ Issues

For those people who suffer from TMJ issues, Botox can help relieve the pain. The dentist will inject Botox directly into the chewing muscles to relax them. This helps soften the pain that people with TMJ experience. Only the muscles that cause TMJ will be injected – no other part of your body will be affected by the Botox.

The headaches associated with TMJ are also relieve in many patients. If you suffer from severe stress, Botox can even help minimize lock jaw. It can also relieve soreness and discomfort caused by facial muscles as well as relieve jaw tension for many patients.

The only downside is that most insurance companies will not cover Botox for TMJ issues. However, this could change in the future as Botox has been medically shown to help prevent damage to the teeth and gums that is caused by excessive jaw grinding.

Headaches/Neck Pain

Botox has also been found to help relieve the pain from migraine headaches and muscle pains in the neck area. Some people who suffer from TMJ also suffer from migraines, headaches, and neck pains. This procedure consists of 31 injections in 7 key areas. This may sound like a lot, but the results are well worth it. The FDA has approved Botox to reduce or completely eliminate headaches and migraines.

Since Botox works on muscles, it’s very important for you/the dentist to figure out exactly what the source of the pain is. This way they can treat the right muscles that are causing the pain.

Botox can also be used as a diagnostic tool. If the pain still persists after Botox is administered, then most likely the muscles that were treated are not the original source of the pain. In this case your dentist can investigate other potential causes or areas of concern.

Cosmetic Purposes

Botox is also used for smoothing out wrinkles on the face. It can shave anywhere from 5-10 years off a person’s face. Generally speaking, men sometimes need more Botox than women when it comes to removing wrinkles from the face. This is because men tend to have more wrinkles and “age lines” than women do. As such the cost for a male will sometimes be slightly higher than a female.

It can also help remove or lessen the crow’s feet that appear around the eyes. Wrinkles on the jowls and forehead also disappear when injected.

Botox for Dental Issues in Chicago

At Water Tower Dental Care, we have the latest and greatest dental technology that is designed to help you look and feel your very best. Our doctors are highly trained and skilled in the usage and application of Botox for your dental issues.

The entire process takes a short period of time, and there are no associated risks. Due to the nature of how Botox works, it can take several days to a week or so before you will notice the full results.

Give us a call at (312) 787-2131 or schedule an appointment to learn more about how Botox can help improve the quality of your life by treating certain dental issues that you may suffer from!