I’m sure it’s happened to you more than once. As you’re about to fall asleep, you’ve noticed your bed partner clenching and grinding his or her teeth, so much so that even you can almost feel the pain. It is nothing more than an old and unpleasant bruxism, a functional alteration that occurs preferably during the night and in a totally involuntary way, which makes it very difficult to control.
What is the origin of bruxism?
Although the origin can be varied, such as a bad bite or misaligned teeth, in most cases, stress, anxiety and even periods of depression are the factors that most determine this painful pathology.
The great misfortune is that most patients do not realize it until they feel discomfort such as headache, neck or ear pain.
How to treat bruxism: botox
The treatment plan for this annoying reality includes a whole range of possibilities that may include orthodontics, one of relaxation planes, muscle relaxants, kinesiology sessions and complementary therapies such as yoga, relaxation massages or reflexology.
But the most innovative therapy of all is the application of botox in the pain points, which causes immediate relief, as it fulfills the function of releasing the tense muscles, which allows the dentist to work with the patient more relieved in conventional or complementary therapies.
It is one more element among those that help relieve stress. We always use two or three methods. Botox is more precisely indicated for a patient who arrives in an acute stage of bruxism, that is, who brings pain and has been sleeping badly for nights, wakes up with a migraine or can hardly open his mouth.
The first thing, then, is to discover the pain points through a palpation examination of the muscles, which allows to know not only which one is affected, but also which part is inflamed.
The advantage is that it has a local and long-lasting action, avoiding the side effects of pills that act at a general level.
This application can last between three and six months and using it does not mean that you will have to use it forever, because as the pain of stress to be canceled, in the meantime, you can do the rest of therapy.