Treating TMJ: BOTOX® Cosmetic or Mouth Guard?

Do you grind your teeth at night and regularly experience headaches or feelings of tension and pain in your jaw or neck? If you’re suffering from these symptoms, our Goldsboro general dentists can examine your jaw for signs of TMJ disorder.

The TMJ (temporomandibular joint) connects the lower jaw to the upper jaw and keeps your mouth mobile. Repetitive force (like the kind created by teeth grinding), sudden injury, or inflammation can cause the TMJ to become misaligned, potentially leading to pain, swelling, and diminished function in and around the face, as well as migraine-style headaches.

One of the most common remedies for TMJ dysfunction is a custom mouth guard or oral splint designed to diminish protect teeth and the jaw from the pressure created by grinding. However, if your TMJ symptoms don’t respond to treatment with a mouth guard, Dr. Harvey Ham might be able to help you find relief with targeted BOTOX® Cosmetic injections.

BOTOX® Cosmetic interrupts nerve signals to relax overactive muscles. This popular injectable can alleviate the incidence of headaches and other TMJ symptoms. Additional benefits include:

• You should notice improvement one to two days after BOTOX® is administered
• Treatment lasts for up to three months
• Effects can last longer with subsequent rounds of injections; after a year, you should only need to visit our office once every six months
• Diminished signs of aging in areas of the face and neck

To find out more about BOTOX® Cosmetic and other TMJ treatments, please contact Boles, Ham, Dixon & Boles or call 252-291-2892 today to schedule your initial appointment. Our general dentists are pleased to see patients in or around Goldsboro, North Carolina.