Aesthetic Solutions for Teeth Grinding: Could This Be Right for You?
Teeth grinding, also known as Bruxism, is the involuntary clenching or grinding of the teeth. It can be particularly prevalent at night, during sleep, and can lead to various dental and health issues.
Linked to a variety of factors, particularly stress and tension, teeth grinding can be very debilitating for some.
My Personal Experience with Teeth Grinding
I myself never suffered from it, until I went through a really stressful period when we were relocating as a family to another part of the country.
We were living in temporary accommodation with friends at the time, thanks to their good grace, and my husband's work was very unstable. On top of that, I was doing an intense course in cosmetic medicine via distance learning at university.
I didn’t think I felt too bad until I would wake suddenly during the night grinding my teeth and waving my arms! It felt like my body had been taken over, and this went on for several months.
Luckily, things calmed down eventually – I finished the course, we got more settled, and my husband retrained to start a new career. I also utilised all my yoga knowledge. But I couldn’t help thinking that some poor people struggle with this issue for years on end, and it must be so exhausting!
Now I offer Botox® as a treatment alternative, I’ve had the opportunity to hear people's real-life stories.
General Causes of Teeth Grinding
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Stress and Anxiety: Emotional stress can cause us to hold muscular tension in the jaw. Just like some people hold it more in their back, neck, and shoulders, others can hold it in the face.
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Sleep Disorders: Sleep apnoea and snoring can trigger teeth grinding.
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Misaligned Teeth: An improper bite or misalignment can cause the teeth to grind.
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Lifestyle Factors: Excessive caffeine and smoking have been known to exacerbate the issue.
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Medications: Antidepressants can increase the likelihood of teeth grinding.
Common Symptoms
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Wearing of the Teeth: Teeth can chip, become loose, or even flatten due to damage.
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Jaw and Facial Pain: Caused by tension in the muscles, it can also lead to headaches and earaches.
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Sleep Disruption: The actual grinding, coupled with the noise, can wake the person up, along with their partner who may be sleeping by their side.
Typical Treatment Options
Usually, the first port of call is incorporating the use of a custom-fitted mouth guard or dental splints, worn whilst sleeping. The mouth guard works as a barrier between the upper and lower teeth to prevent grinding, and the splints can reduce the force of clenching.
Stress management techniques can be incorporated, along with physical therapy such as specific jaw exercises and massage therapy to help relieve the tension.
Some people will also use prescribed muscle relaxants before bed.
Usually, in my experience, by the time someone seeks help with Botox® injections, they’ve pretty much exhausted all these avenues and are seeking help as a last resort.
Using Botox® As A Solution for Teeth Grinding
Botox® is used for teeth grinding, which is injected deeply into the masseter muscle – the muscle responsible for chewing. The muscle sits on the jaw; if you bite down, you can usually feel it bulge.
Injectors (myself included) are trained to know exactly where to place the injection points for maximum effect while mitigating any risk to the other facial muscles.
The dose needed can be quite high, and this is priced accordingly. Often people may need more added at their 2-week review.
It can take 2 weeks for the muscle to relax and for the grinding of the teeth to ease.
From my own anecdotal evidence, I would say treatment here lasts longer than cosmetic treatments, possibly 5–6 months, depending on severity.
Important Note on Botox® for Bruxism
A quick side note – Botox® is not officially licensed in the UK for bruxism and is therefore used off-label by medical professionals when treating, using their clinical judgement.
Here’s a video showing how the treatment is carried out, from a recent training day with one of my Training Academy students:
Consultation for Teeth Grinding Treatment
If teeth grinding is something that’s wearing you down and you’ve exhausted all other options, book in for a medical consultation to see if we can help.
Treatment is subject to a full medical history and consultation.
The cost of your consultation is fully redeemable against treatment taken.
Gemma x
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