Could botox really help to prevent teeth grinding?

This Manchester dentist report on teeth grinding could amaze you.

Teeth grinding, or bruxism to give it its medical term, can be noisy and annoying for the teeth grinder’s partner – especially at night when they are trying to sleep. But that isn’t the real problem. Teeth grinding can produce a number of unpleasant side effects for the sufferer such as headaches and facial pain, not to mention the risk of damage to the teeth themselves and even to the jaw. So what would you think if you went to one of the top Manchester dentist clinics and they recommended a botox injection? [caption id="attachment_2930" align="aligncenter" width="300"]

Prevent teeth grinding with botox.[/caption]The classic dental method of combating teeth grinding is to manufacture a bespoke mouth guard that the sufferer can wear in bed at night and this will prevent them rubbing their teeth together. With a good custom-made mouth guard the wearer will, after a short time, hardly know that it is there and it won’t in any way affect the quality of their sleep. What’s more it will almost certainly improve the sleep of their partner.Over recent years however, there has been a move towards a more innovative treatment that is to inject botox into the jaw muscle. According to Carisbrook, a leading Manchester dentist clinic, botox will relax the muscles making it impossible to grind the teeth together with any force.Many dentists now claim that botox injections are as effective (and less intrusive) than wearing a mouth guard.Other medical professionals on the other hand warn that botox could result in loss of bone in the jaw, but according to Carisbrook the Manchester dentist specialists, that view is still very subjective and there is no definite data to support that claim.Carisbrook recommend that if you (or your partner) suffer with a teeth grinding problem then you should consult your dentist to discuss the different dental treatments available.There are of course pros and cons to both sides of the debate. Mouth guards are, generally speaking, the less expensive option, but some people can find them intrusive and dislike the thoughts of wearing them every night.Botox injections, whilst being a quick and simple procedure, do not remain effective forever and they must be repeated every five or six months or so. Consequently botox can work out to be the more expensive option in the long term.It’s worth asking yourself though why you have become a teeth grinder. The evidence gained by Carisbrook, the Manchester dentist specialists, is that generally teeth grinding is a result of stress and not being fully relaxed during sleep. So it could very well be worth looking at your lifestyle to see if you can introduce ways of removing stress and tension from yourself, especially at bedtime.If you would like to discuss the different dental treatments for teeth grinding and would like to know if a botox injection would be suitable for yourself then please give us a call on 0161 951 7295 or go to our Appointments page and send us an online message to book an appointment and a Free Consultation.