Botox Injections Might Relieve Pain Caused By Your TMJ
Posted on: 15 June 2021
You've probably heard about Botox injections for reducing wrinkles, and maybe you've even had them yourself. You may be surprised to learn that these injections are also used by dentists to treat a variety of dental conditions. One condition your dentist might recommend the injections for is TMJ. If you have TMJ and suffer from pain on a regular basis, you might want to talk to your dentist about getting the injections. Here's how Botox might help relieve the pain associated with TMJ.
Botox Relaxes Your Jaw Muscles
TMJ is associated with stress, and it often accompanies teeth grinding. If your TMJ is caused by muscle tension, Botox injections might help. The injections relax tight muscles, and this can relieve strain on the joints in your jaw. It's also harder to grind your teeth with a lot of force when your muscles are relaxed.
TMJ can have other causes, so your dentist has to evaluate your case and decide if the injections are right for you. They also need to decide how many injections you need and where they should be given.
The Injections Can Provide Fast Relief
The pain from TMJ can affect the joint in your jaw and it can also cause headaches. You might deal with pain daily or just when you have flares due to increased stress. When you have the injections, you should feel a little relief right away.
However, Botox often takes a few days to provide the full effects of pain relief. After several days, you should notice an improvement in your pain, and the effects can last for a few months before you need to have the injections repeated.
Other TMJ Treatments Can Be Done Too
You don't have to stop other types of TMJ treatments when you get Botox injections. Your dentist may still want you to wear a nightguard, practice stress relief, or go to physical therapy. All these treatments work together to provide lasting pain relief.
Your dentist can recommend the best schedule for repeat treatments so your condition is managed well and you keep jaw pain and headaches to a minimum.
The Treatments Are Easy To Take
You'll probably need several injections that target different muscles, so the treatment session might last several minutes. The needles used for the injections are small, so you usually don't experience much pain.
If you have a needle phobia, your dentist might administer nitrous oxide to relax you before the treatments begin. If you have soreness afterward, you might apply ice to the area, but your dentist will probably advise you not to rub the injection sites so you don't displace the Botox. Reach out to a professional for more information about Botox.
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