I am sure a lot of you have seen advertisements or articles on treating TMJ disorder with Botox. While both methods can be used to reduce or eliminate pain, I want to take this opportunity to talk about the differences between the two methods.
Botulinum toxin, known as Botox, is a manufactured injectable medication used therapeutically to reduce the strength of targeted muscle tissue. The FDA approved the use of botulinum toxin as a first line treatment for chronic migraine in February 2011. It takes the toxin approximately 2 hours to bind to the nerve and approximately 2-10 days from injection to exert it’s clinical effect. Re-treatment is most common between 3 to 6 months with a small percentage going considerably longer. Botox is used to treat some symptoms associated with TMJ disorder by injecting the toxin directly into the jaw muscle, thus paralyzing the muscle in order to reduce the pain. This method alleviates or reduces pain by masking the real problem for TMJ disorder, a bad bite.
Changing a bad bite into a neuromuscular or physiologic bite can treat the primary cause of the pain. TMJ is a common term used to describe temperomandibular joint or the jaw joints. When the joints, the muscles of the head and neck and the teeth are not in harmony, pain can develop. Symptoms such as headaches, vertigo, ringing in the ears, jaw pain, neck pain, sensitive teeth, just to list a few, can be associated with TMJ disorder. A bite computer can be used to determine the optimal bite position and an orthotic fabricated to reposition the jaw joints, thus decompressing the joints and alleviating the pain. This method determines the cause of the pain while also providing a solution for symptoms.
Treating TMJ disorder with neuromuscular dentistry or Botox injections for facial cosmetics.
If you or anyone you know would like more information give us a call at 912-264-5550 to schedule an appointment to determine if your face or neck pain may be caused by TMJ disorder and a misaligned bite.
We can get your Bite right!
Dr. Angela Britt