Everything you need to know about jaw Botox

If you’re one of the 10 million people in the UK currently walking round with your jaw clamped tight as a vice, then you’re probably all too familiar with the symptoms that come with it: headaches, face and neck pain, worn teeth, a heavy-set jaw (the list goes on).

But the list of reasons why we grind our teeth (official name: bruxism) is a little less extensive. “I’ve seen a definite rise in teeth grinding cases,” confirms plastic surgeon and aesthetic practitioner Dr. Ashwin Soni. “It’s often associated with increased stress and anxiety, which we’re all experiencing on some level following the pandemic.”

Botox (or botulinum toxin) is the gold-standard procedure for people in pursuit of smoothed-out foreheads, but its uses go beyond just keeping wrinkles at bay. As well as its ability to reduce excess sweating when injected into the palms and underarms (it blocks signals to over-active sweat glands), it can also be used to relax the jaw’s masseter muscle, which is responsible for excessive clenching.

Dr. Soni points out that like any overactive muscle in the body, the masseter muscle can increase in size over time, leading to a bulking or widening of the jaw. “When you inject Botox into this muscle to relieve the symptoms of teeth grinding, it will also help slim the jawline,” he confirms.

Is jaw Botox painful?

If you’ve ever had Botox for forehead wrinkles, this won’t feel like anything out of the ordinary – a scratch as the needle breaks the skin, if that. Dr. Soni uses super-fine 32-gauge needles and treats the skin with ice packs prior to injecting, for a completely pain-free experience. The treatment takes as little as ten minutes, with eight injections administered altogether, four in each side of the jaw. You should notice the symptoms start to ease within two-to-three days, and for those of you worried it will affect your ability to chew food, don’t. “We have numerous chewing muscles, so it won’t affect your chewing mechanism at all,” Dr. Soni reassures. “When you inject Botox, you are weakening the muscle and breaking the subconscious contraction of it, which is what causes the jaw ache.”

How long does it last?

The full effects of the Botox should kick in within 10-to-14 days after treatment, and you can expect the clenching to stay away for between three-to-nine months. “Occasionally a patient will experience longer-lasting results if they have Botox consistently,” Says Dr. Soni. “This is because the muscle weakens over time and therefore takes longer to start contracting again.” He adds that results might fade sooner than expected in a stronger and more overactive muscle. “The quality of the toxin used, and provider technique can also impact how long results last, as the muscle needs to be very specifically targeted.”

Courtesy Jaw Botox Dr Soni

Is it safe?

As with any aesthetic treatment, you should check your practitioner’s credentials and experience first. They should be a trained doctor or nurse (you can verify this by typing their name into the registers of the General Medical Council, Nursing & Midwifery Council or General Dental Council). People providing Botox and fillers will need a license under new government plans to protect patients from botched cosmetic procedures – welcome news for practitioners such as Dr. Soni, who is all too familiar with the fallout from bad work. “The risk for this particular procedure is that the wrong muscle could get targeted, so if an injector isn’t experienced with the anatomy of the face, they could hit the smile muscles, leading to a temporary drooping on one side.”

How much does it cost?

It varies from practitioner to practitioner, but Dr. Soni charges £415 for eight injections. He’s a highly qualified plastic surgeon with an in-depth knowledge of facial anatomy, so a good bench mark to compare other practitioners’ prices against.

What are the alternatives?

With the most likely cause of clenching being stress, it makes sense to focus on your mental health, speaking to a GP if you think you might require help managing it. Regular exercise, meditation, breathing exercises and adequate sleep will all go a long way in any self-care routine.

Gently stretching the jaw muscle will also help relieve symptoms, opening your mouth as wide as you can ten times, once or twice a day.

Some gentle facial massage can help to relieve tension in the jaw area after a long day of clenching. Invest in a gua sha tool and use it in ‘scraping’ motions along the jaw towards the ear (go gentle and use some facial oil for slip).