What is Dental Botox®?

As specialists in facial anatomy and esthetics, an increasing number of dentists are taking their skills into the world of Botox®. Often associated just with appearances, Botox® can be equally as therapeutic as cosmetic.

Botox® is a purified protein that irons out wrinkles by attaching to a muscle and preventing it from contracting. (Muscle contracting away from skin is what causes wrinkles). This has thus far been its most popular use in cosmetic facial treatments.

What most patients don’t know is this same function can relax other muscles in the jaw and face for pain relief or support of orthodontics.

Botox® is applied via injection; a method in which dentists are already skilled. The effect of Botox® lasts three to four months, which means it needs to be refreshed and reapplied for continued results.

Being an injection, Botox® is minimally invasive and a more conservative, more affordable alternative to surgery. For example, in the case of a high lip line, Botox® may be an attractive alternative to a major surgical procedure. The results will not last as long, but the procedure is more affordable and less invasive.

Other uses of Botox® in dentistry include pain relief for TMD (temporomandibular joint dysfunction), and reducing teeth grinding (bruxism). These things are accomplished by relaxing the muscles associated with the pain and mouth movement. Or, if orthodontics has re-shaped your mouth and teeth, Botox® can maintain those results by keeping the muscles loose and preventing them from moving back into their original position. And someone who wears dentures can use Botox® to keep their gums and mouth soft around the new set of teeth as they get used to them.

Clearly, this treatment has many uses for health, function, and cosmetics!

Additional Benefits of Dental Botox®

Of course, Botox® was made popular for its simple treatment of fine lines in the skin. For some people, a whole new smile isn’t complete without rejuvenating the skin around the mouth.

Healthy, white teeth are the most important part of an attractive smile. But if you want even more of a renewed look, and you are open to a temporary cosmetic treatment, Botox® can really complete the look.

Is Botox® Dentistry Safe?

Dentists are already specialists in the mouth, jaw, and face, so they can professionally and expertly use Botox® for many reasons. However, not every state allows dentists to use Botox®, so you must research regulations in your state.

Some critics of Botox® in dentistry are concerned about proper training, but we consider the dentist office to be one of the safest options available for receiving this remedy. Side effects are rare but do include overly-droopy skin or muscles and pain at the site of injection.

Botox® is approved by the FDA and is becoming increasingly popular for wrinkle and muscle treatment. Dr. Barry and Dr. Love at Lifetime Dental Health in Columbus are always ready to talk with patients about their many options in dentistry. Call our office today to make an appointment for a consultation.

Sources

http://www.facialesthetics.org/patient-info/facial-esthetics/wrinkle-treatment/botox/

http://www.facialesthetics.org/blog/dentists-botox-time/

http://www.cda.org/news-events/use-of-botox-in-dentistry-is-a-fine-line

http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-professional-product-review-ppr/archives/2015/vol_10_iss_3/a-discussion-about-dermal-fillers-botox-and-dentistry



from Lifetime Dental Health http://lifetimedentalcolumbus.com/what-is-dental-botox/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Help! My Child is Terrified of the Dentist

Image
If you’re the parent of a young child, you know their brains are similar to sponges that soak up everything around them—especially in their first five years, which neuroscientists say is when they’ll do the most learning and developing in their entire life. At this formative time, your child may amaze you with what they notice: your facial expressions, the different tones of your voice, and your habits. If your habits include regular dental visits and an excellent oral hygiene routine, they’ll notice and want to emulate you. If you happen to feel anxious about your dental visits, or you groan when you’ve got to floss and brush, they may synchronize and feel your dread. This could lead to dental fears that stick with them for years—potentially a lifetime! Kids Can Be Courageous If you’re feeling guilty right now, go ahead and put that away as it won’t serve you or your little one. Everyone has some room for improvement, and Coastal Pediatric Dentistry® is here to help show you an
Read more

Going for the Gold?

Image
On the left is the older allow, on the right the new one that my lab has chosen to use The cost of a penny weight of pure gold is currently $79.53. The cost of a penny weight of pure palladium is $130.6. It used to be that palladium was added instead of gold to the precious metals often used for pfms, but now laboratories are finding that palladium is no longer affordable. The lab that I am using has just changed the formulation of the metal it's using to one that has more gold than palladium. I really do not mind, but metals with more gold are softer and often easier for a dentist to accidentally polish off delicate margins. It is important when polishing "higher gold" formulations to exert less hand pressure when performing the final polishing of the crown's margins. Other wise there should be no problem with this change. Traditionally labs have chosen alloys with higher gold percentages for optimal esthetics, since alloys with higher concentrations of
Read more

Tongue Ties: What Parents Need to Know

Image
For a long time, people just didn’t seem to know much about tongue ties. In the early years of my practice, few of my patients had ever heard of a tongue tie. When I pointed out that they or their children might be tongue tied, I was often the very first practitioner who’d mentioned it to them. When I told them that a tongue tie might actually be the root cause of their oral myofunctional issues, or even their sleep apnea , I’m sure that some of them thought I was crazy. But in the last few years, things have changed so much! Initially, there was a small increase in the number of patients who were contacting me specifically about tongue ties. Dentists and orthodontists also began reaching out more frequently to discuss the application of myofunctional therapy exercises to tongue tie treatment. But in the last year or so, that little bit of interest has become a surge of awareness. Tongue ties and their effects on health and craniofacial development are finally becoming mainstream.
Read more