Muscle Relaxing Treatment

For Teeth Clenching/ Grinding

Long term teeth clenching and grinding can cause overdevelopment of the jaw muscles.  The stronger the muscles the greater the forces being applied through the teeth, both through normal chewing function but also when the habitual clenching/ grinding is happening.  This can cause damage to teeth through tooth wear and breakages (think of the concept of a sledge hammer being used to crack a nut!)  and also pain in and around the muscles.

Botulinum toxin can be used to reduce this excessive muscle action which over time can achieve multiple benefits:

• Reduced muscle force being applied through the teeth
• Reduced pain in and around the jaw muscles
• Reduced headaches in some patients
• Streamlined jawline as the enlarged muscles decrease in size back to normal size and volume.

For Gummy Smiles

A gummy smile may be caused by a  number of factors including:

• A lack of lip volume
• Overactive lip muscles which raise the upper lip higher than ideal when you smile
• Increased height of the upper jaw (an increase in the distance between the base of the nose and the upper lip)
• Small sized teeth

Often multiple factors are at play all at the same time.  Whilst surgery is the only way to physically modify the height of the upper jaw a significant improvement can often be achieved by addressing the other causative factors. Botulinum toxin can be used to reduce the level of muscle activity that raises the upper lip when smiling so this can be a simple solution to reduce the amount of gum on display when smiling.

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