Me & botox

botox bruxism my experience

 

This post is almost overdue, since I have gotten so many questions about my botox treatment. So, let’s talk botox AKA my favorite substance in the world. Just kidding – or not. As someone who really has suffered from bruxism, you can’t blame me for feeling so deeply about it.

Botox for bruxism – my experience

I first took botox last spring and I wrote about my first experience in June. I told you how long I had dreamed about it (I realize that some of these sentences only make sense to other heavy teeth grinders) and how excited I was to try it. And the results! I didn’t expect them to be that good. I also was shocked to see the change in my face. My face got leaner, my cheekbones got even more visible and most of all – the pain and aching was almost all gone.

On my last post I wrote:
I am both a bit scared and excited to see, how long the effects will last. It’s – again – personal, and can’t be promised. But what I do know, is that as soon as my pain starts to come back, I’m heading back to the needle.

Well, I wasn’t lying there. After about four months the pain came back and I booked my second appointment immediately.

The pain felt awful. I had forgotten how it felt to wake up in the morning and having pain in your teeth and jaw and head. It’s just not a nice feeling to be waking up at. The fact that the pain started to come back made me appreciate the results even more. Seriously: as soon as the botox was gone from my jaw, I realized just how much it had helped. It helped massively.

Luckily I didn’t have to suffer for long as I got the appointment quite quickly. And the apppointment is quick. This time my dentist Sakari and I decided to try a bigger dose. My jaw muscles were again quite strong, but not as strong as they were the first time.

The botox started to help again week by week. After about a month, it was all good again. My face felt awesome. Honestly, I could just write the same things all over again here. After my first appointment I wrote:

I could feel good results after a week or two. It got better week after week. I noticed, that I didn’t wake up with a sore jaw or sore teeth anymore. I didn’t complain about headaches. And best of all: my jaw felt quite relaxed during the day. This all felt amazing. For once in my life, I didn’t even have to think about bruxism.

And that’s how I felt after my second appointment as well. But to sum up everything, here are the questions I get asked all the time and my answers.

my experience botox bruxism

Frequently asked questions about botox treatment for bruxism

How many times have you gotten botox?
I’ve now gotten it two times.

How long did the results last?
They lasted for about four months. I think that’s pretty good, considering the promise is 2-6 months.

Would you still recommend it?
Absolutely. Obviously I want everyone to do their research and decide for themselves, but if you really are suffering from bruxism, you might want to try it. It has helped me so much. And it’s the only real thing that has helped, really. Nightguard does help a little, but mostly it just protects my teeth. And massaging your jaw… well, I guess it helps for the moment you’re massaging it.

How much botox did you get injected?
It’s hard to say, as I let the professional (my dentist) decide it. But it’s always personal. The first time I got the so called ‘regular’ amount and the next time I got a bit more. I have a feeling it’s a process you can’t necessarily get right right away. You need to start somewhere and see how it works and then you can try bigger doses.

Does it hurt?
The process is so quick, I don’t think it hurts that much. But I do feel a small sting when the needle goes through my skin. Pain is personal. But it’s totally worth it, which makes me want to say that it doesn’t hurt.

Where do you go for botox?
I go to Ebeling dentists. My dentist is Sakari Ebeling and he is the one doing botox treatments there. I can warmly recommend the place. It has a nice atmosphere, which is important for someone who has a bit of a dentist fear and the staff are friendly and professional. Also, when you compare the prices, they are pretty fair.

How much does botox cost?
It depends on the place, but where I go it costs 399€. A bit pricey I know, but since it helps so much, I think it’s worth considering.

Me and my sister in Paris. She has also taken botox two times already because of bruxism. #botoxsisters

I guess that’s pretty much it! If you have any more questions, please leave them in the comments so I can answer them and possibly update this post.

And if you didn’t already, go read the first post I wrote about the subject. Sakari also answered some questions there about botox and bruxism, so I have some professional information there also.

 

I took botox for bruxism – and it was so worth it

botox bruxism

In a collaboration with Ebeling dentists

As the title says, I took botox. And no, it wasn’t for aesthetic reasons, though it has impacted my looks quite radically as well. I took botox for my bruxism also known as jaw clenching or teeth grinding, which has been the worst.

As you may know, I have collaborated with Ebeling dentists and on my earlier post I told you about my teeth and insecurities I had with them. Well, they are now whitened and it’s all good. But what I didn’t tell you, was this: the biggest problem with my teeth is bruxism.

In this post I will share my experience with botox, tell you a little about my bruxism and I will talk about the procedure and have my dentist answer some questions about the treatment and the science side of things.

Teeth grinding made my teeth, jaw and head ache

It may sound exaggerated, but bruxism makes your life quite miserable. Because bruxism gone bad, really affects your everyday life. I might have had some better days, when the pain wasn’t that bad (but it was still there), but as my jaw muscles grew and and my clenching got worse, I had more of those really bad days.

It’s funny, how you get used to things. I think my teeth grinding got so bad, that in a way, I got used to waking up with a headache, sore jaw and sore teeth. Every single morning I would wake up with some pain. Luckily I’ve been wearing a night guard for years now – it doesn’t prevent teeth grinding, but it at least protects my teeth. Did you know, that bruxism also causes chipping? I’m all a little too familiar with that.

And as if that wasn’t enough – my jaw was so sore and overworked, that I couldn’t relax my muscles even during the day. I didn’t necessarily grind my teeth during the day, but I had a constant tension in my jaw and especially if I was focusing hard or had stress.

I didn’t even realize it, but I was constantly complaining about a headache – a fact, that my man noticed, since nowadays it rarely happens.

And no – I’m no stranger to trying to find a relief to my sore jaw. I tried to massage it daily, but it didn’t help.

night guard purentakisko

BOTOX FOR BRUXISM

On my very first visit to the dentist, my dentist massaged my masseter muscles and was quite impressed (but not in a good way). I had been working out those muscles hard!

You don’t know how relieved I was, when Sakari said to me: “we could try botox for you”. I had been dreaming about botox for so long. I’m not the only one in my family suffering from bruxism, so we had been talking about botox with my sisters before. I didn’t really know if that treatment was available, and I had not realized that a dentist could perform that treatment. But now that I think of it, of course you should go to a dentist to treat your teeth grinding.

 

THE TREATMENT

The treatment for bruxism with botox is quite simple. Botox is injected in your masseter muscles as well as the muscles in your temples. It is injected with a thin needle and is quite quick and painless. But as always, it’s personal how you experience pain. I didn’t think it was bad at all – then again I had waited for that moment for so long, I wasn’t gonna complain.

botox bruxism before after
Before and after botox. These pictures are taken a month apart. The change here is crazy!

MY EXPERIENCE & RESULTS

I could feel some change in my muscles straight away after the injection. It didn’t make my face feel all relaxed and wonderful immediately, as I had dreamed, but I did notice a positive change. When I tried to bite my teeth together, my muscles didn’t feel as tight as before. And as soon as I got the botox, I felt this huge relief. It was done – and it was very likely, that I could soon see results. Good bye pain! I was so relieved, and happy.

The actual results started to show in one or two weeks – and the best results were seen a month from my treatment, where we set another appointment, to check the situation.

I could feel good results after a week or two. It got better week after week. I noticed, that I didn’t wake up with a sore jaw or sore teeth anymore. I didn’t complain about headaches. And best of all: my jaw felt quite relaxed during the day. This all felt amazing. For once in my life, I didn’t even have to think about bruxism. I felt almost normal – like I had a regular jaw just like anyone else.

I felt peaceful, when I went to bed – I knew, that my now weakened muscles couldn’t work as hard as they used to. They could finally sleep! And I could wake up without pain.

When I massage my jaw even right now, I notice a big change. The muscles don’t feel as tight and big as they did. And it doesn’t hurt to massage them! At least not as much, as it did before taking botox.

I also noticed a change in my appearance. 

My jawline got leaner.  My cheekbones were even more visible, than before – and all of a sudden I got lots of compliments on them.

The change, that has happened in my face, is quite shocking. I had never realized, that my bruxism actually affected my looks as well. But now that my face is all lean again, I feel like my face is more proportionate. I remember looking at some older photos of myself, when my bruxism wasn’t that bad, and wondered, how I looked so young and somehow so different. It was because my face shape has changed so much, because of bruxism.

Botox in my experience has not not affected my eating or the ability to bite and chew food. I can eat normally.

before after botox jaw
My jawline, when my bruxism was at it’s very worst – and my jawline now, after having the botox treatment for it.

ennen jälkeen botox

Now to the important question: did my bruxism end altogether?

Unfortunately, not completely. Bruxism has a lot to do with stress (at least with me) and I still grind my teeth a little. If I’m stressed, I do it more and I might feel a slight tension. But it’s nothing compared to what it used to be! It has decreased a lot. I feel so, so much better.

It’s now been about a month and a half since taking botox. I am both a bit scared and excited to see, how long the effect will last. It’s – again – personal, and can’t be promised. But what I do know, is that as soon as my pain starts to come back, I’m heading back to the needle.

ebeling hammaslääkärit kokemuksia

Finally, I let my dentist Sakari Ebeling to answer some questions about botox and bruxism:

What is bruxism and how common it is?

Bruxism, or teeth grinding, is an activity regulated by your central nervous system. Personality type (like perfectionism), stress, anxiety, nicotine and caffeine and certain drug use can cause that. 15-20% of the population under 50-years suffers from bruxism.

What different treatments are there for bruxism?

Primary treatments are night guards, massaging the muscles and avoiding stress. If these don’t help, you can try botox.

How does botox work?

Botox contains botulinum toxin, which temporarily paralyzes the muscle. It’s effective for 2-6 months, but the benefit can also be of long-term, since the muscle that has been resting for several months is weaker than before.

How is the treatment done? In which muscles is botox injected?

Botox is injected with a very thin needle to jaw line’s and temple’s muscles. The treatment takes less than five minutes.

How long does it take to see results?

Botox starts to influence in 3-4 days. The best results are usually achieved within two weeks.

How long do the results last?

It’s effective for 2-6 months. But the benefits can last longer and sometimes it’s possible to learn away from bruxism with the treatment.

Does botox have any side effects?

There are not really side effects. If the dosage is wrong or the injection spot is wrong, then the wrong muscle can weaken. The treatment is not done for pregnant or nursing women or for people suffering from muscle dystrophy.

For who would you recommend botox?

For anyone,who suffers from jaw pain or headaches and for those, who have not gotten enough help from the night guard. Sometimes raising your eyebrows or scrunching your forehead can cause headache, so botox injected on forehead can help. Botox can also be used to smooth unwanted wrinkles.

happy botox

Needless to say, I warmly recommend – and almost urge – you to try botox, if you suffer from bruxism or jaw clenching. The treatment is a bit pricey, but I feel like the results are worth it. At least it’s something, that I am ready to invest in. It’s about my wellbeing, after all.

Botox treatment is not that common in Finland or in Helsinki, but Sakari Ebeling provides the treatment at Ebeling dentists. Their price is actually very reasonable too, if you look at other clinics. I also got a discount for you!

By mentioning my blog’s name “Charlotta Eve” you get -50€ from your first botox-treatment. (Normal price is 399€) This new code is valid for now. I’ll take it off from here when it stops working.

Ebeling dentists – https://ehammas.fi

Are there other teeth grinders out there?

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