Botox Treatment

Think the dentist isn’t the place for Botox? Think again! At Auslander Dental, we administer Botox to aid our patients in a variety of ways. While the cosmetic treatment is normally employed to combat lines and wrinkles on the face, the medical, therapeutic uses are many. We refer to it as total facial aesthetics.

Botox can help with a myriad of dental-related problems:

• Chronic and uncontrollable clenching and/or grinding of the teeth
• Extensively “gummy” smiles as a result of an overly recessive upper lip
• Permanently pursed or puckered lips and chins
• Headache and migraine treatment as a result of Temporomandibular Joint pain caused by muscle spasms (TMJ)

Botox often gets at the root of the problem. For example, mouthguards and sleep appliances can curb the effects of clenching and grinding, but it does not target the initial cause. Botox allows for greater relaxation of the muscles involved with clenching to help decrease pain and to protect the teeth that are often destroyed when grinding.

For aesthetics, Botox limits excessive muscle function. With decreased muscle activity, the upper lip can no longer over-retract, the corners of the mouth can turn up instead of down, and the chin muscle is relaxed instead of puckered.

It should be noted that Botox is not a “cure”, but it can provide significant relief while other, longer-term treatments are being pursued. Botox will need to be reapplied at our Gambrills office every 3-5 months. Many of our patients experience greater comfort and improved self-esteem when Botox is involved.