By drscotto@drscotto.com
June 04, 2014
Category: TMJ Treatment
Tags: Untagged

Schenectady Botox for TMJAre you waking up to an aching jaw and dull headaches? Do you feel exhausted even after what should have been a good night’s sleep? Are you struggling to use your jaw properly and chew comfortably? Any one of these problems demands a speedy solution. And yours may lie in Botox treatment.

Botox isn’t just for wrinkles. Its unique capabilities make it a versatile medication. It can actually be instrumental in relieving discomfort associated with TMJ, or temporomandibular joint disorder. Believe it or not, that jaw joint can be responsible for the types of discomfort that we listed above. With Botox calming the jaw muscles, you’ll experience welcome relief – even where other treatment options have failed.

Botox’s Role in Taming TMJ

Temporomandibular joint disorders wreak havoc on your facial and jaw muscles. TMJ causes these muscles to clench without your command, leading to fatigue, swelling, and pain. While a jaw disorder can be caused by any number of problems, the effects are always uncomfortable. Because your jaw is interconnected with many other aspects of your facial musculature, it’s common for a jaw problem to lead to pain and stress in other areas. If a disorder is allowed to persist, it can cause:

  • Bruxism (chronic teeth grinding)
  • Poor quality of sleep (from clenching during the night)
  • Tooth wear
  • Facial pain
  • Headaches and migraines
  • Swollen jaw joints
  • Fatigued, difficult-to-use jaw
  • Damage to the components of the TMJ
  • A jaw that clicks or locks in place
  • Dizziness
  • Earaches and hearing problems

While methods of TMJ treatment like mouth guards can be helpful for some patients, those splints don’t always address the underlying cause of the problem. Even if a splint holds your jaw in the correct alignment, it can still attempt to clench. This puts the same level of stress on the jaw muscles, leading to associated problems.

Botox goes to the root of the issue. It calms the muscles responsible for such clenching, leaving them undisturbed. If you have been suffering from TMJ for some time, it’s likely that your jaw joints are swollen and aggravated. Getting Botox injections will allow them to heal, and return to their normal selves. Even patients who have found other methods of TMJ treatment unsuccessful experience a change with Botox treatment. It’s a new approach to soothing muscle pain.

How Botox Calms Muscle Contractions

Schenectady TMJ TreatmentBotox is a neuromuscular junction inhibitor. Simply put, it blocks communication between nerves and muscles. The medication prevents nerve endings from releasing acetylcholine. Without that chemical present, muscles will not contract. This leaves the target muscles relaxed, even when nerves are sending signals to them.

Botox is injected at specific sites to cause predictable results. With a skilled dentist administering the Botox, there’s no threat of the wrong muscle being affected. The number of units of Botox will determine the level of muscle relaxation. Depending on your pain, Dr. Scotto will determine the level of Botox that will best suit your needs. The end goal is reduced pain, not loss of muscle control.

Botox Therapeutic in Schenectady

Once your jaw has calmed down, you’ll remember what life used to be like. Without pain, stiffness, and a malfunctioning jaw, you’ll experience a return to business as usual. If you’ve been suffering for some time, you may have forgotten how this feels. Don’t put off relief another day. Get in touch with our office to learn more about Botox therapeutic.

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Robert M. Scotto, D.D.S.
615 Union St.
Schenectady, NY 12305
518-374-9770

  

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