Many individuals grind or clench their teeth. This unconscious habit causes extreme stress on teeth and can lead to excessive wear, functional issues, fractured teeth and in some instances root fractures where the tooth is no longer savable and must be removed. Also, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) damage can occur. Muscular pain and headaches/ear aches are often a sign as well of someone who grinds or clenches. A mouth guard can help protect your teeth from these damaging forces and help protect supporting structures. The guard does not typically stop the patient from their para-functional habit. The guard is hard, yet softer than teeth, and therefore the grinder/clencher wears the guard out, not the teeth.
A newer therapy is now available for extreme cases. Botox injections into the muscles of mastication are used to decrease the force produced by the muscles.
Filler (Hyaluronic Acid) and Botox can also be used to enhance and freshen the look of your lips and surrounding structures of the mouth. Botox reduces muscle contraction thereby decreasing wrinkles. Loss of natural body fat and collagen also leads to wrinkles and a loss of facial volume. Filler products aid in replacing natural volume giving a refreshed more youthful look to go along with that healthy smile. For those who have never had full lips, the filler now gives them the lips they have always wanted, framing and accenting that attractive smile.
