Therapeutic BOTOX Treatment| Dentist Ventura
Top Rated Family & Cosmetic Dentist serving Ventura, Oxnard, Westlake & Camarillo
BOTOX is one of the most popular esthetic treatments available today. Injections of botulinum toxin A have been used for more than two decades to minimize frown lines and smooth wrinkles.
Currently about 7-8% of dentists in North America offer cosmetic treatments with BOTOX to their patients and this number is growing. As more dentists offer the procedures, more innovative uses are being developed. Many dentists are still unaware of just how many benefits BOTOX can offer as a complementary treatment in both dentistry and esthetics. BOTOX has been found to be benefits as an adjunct therapy for cases of TMJ, bruxism, and facial pain that do not respond to traditional treatments. Because it blocks nerve signals, BOTOX is effectively a muscle relaxer. In doses half of those used for esthetic applications, BOTOX can reduce the muscle contractions that cause TMJ and facial pain, offering substantial pain relief. Every dentist has seen at least a couple of TMJ patients who, despite appliances and even entire mouth reconstructions, continue to struggle with pain. BOTOX can significantly reduce, and even eliminate, facial pain for many of these patients.
BOTOX is frequently used alongside dermal fillers to resolve cases of high lip lines without surgery. Traditionally, these cases have been most often treated surgically. A dentist would raise the height of the gingiva by performing a periodontal flap surgery with both osseous reduction and crown lengthening. This would be followed by crowns and a bridge in order to improve dental esthetics. Even the newest and most inexperienced dentist knows just how aggressive this type of treatment would be. Very few dentists would choose treatment like this for themselves, yet it is what is most often offered to patients.
Using a little BOTOX to weaken the muscles around the mouth and a bit of dermal filler to augment the lip, one can achieve results just as good as with surgery without the expense, pain, or recovery time associated with surgery. Of course, it’s important to approach the procedure with caution so as to maintain normal lip function, including enunciating, smiling, and eating. When done well, the lips cannot be raised as high, but maintains the ability to function normally.
A Beautiful Smile Means More Than Beautiful Teeth
This is just one example illustrating the importance of BOTOX and dermal fillers, along with more traditional options such as veneers and resins, to esthetic dentistry. As important as straight, white teeth, the soft tissue around the mouth is vital to a beautiful smile. Dentists have developed a teeth-centric mindset that it is easy to forget that the area around the mouth is just as important for an esthetic smile. Have you ever noticed a dental case involving a patient with teeth that are perfectly straight and white in the middle of a face with thin, wrinkled lips and deep lines around the mouth? It would not be inaccurate to suggest that these patients have beautiful teeth, but not necessarily a beautiful smile.A number of other dental applications have been developed for BOTOX, including complementing other therapies by retraining muscles. Moving the teeth orthodontically is easy, but if your patient has strong muscle movement, the teeth will eventually slip back. BOTOX can weaken these muscles so they can be retrained to more optimal movement. As an adjunct therapy, it is a good option for those patients that have experienced orthodontic relapse as a result of overactive muscles.
BOTOX is also helpful for patients who have just been fitted with new dentures, especially if they have been without teeth for a long time or have old dentures that are overclosed. Even dentures that fit perfectly can be difficult for a patient to get used to and keep in the mouth if the patient has strong muscle contractions.
As we age, the corners of the mouth start to droop. When BOTOX is injected into the muscles in this area, they will relax, allowing the corners of the mouth to lift. BOTOX can also help erase the wrinkles around the mouth caused by action of the orbicularis oris muscles. These lines are often referred to as smokers’ wrinkles, though nonsmokers are just as likely to be affected.
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