Botox May Help Teeth Grinders

Botox won’t just erase fine lines and wrinkles; a new study shows it could also help teeth grinders. Here are the main points of that study:

  1. The study was small, with just 23 people participating.
  2. Half of the group received Botox injections, the other half received placebo injections.
  3. It showed that Botox injections at the temple and jaw can stop, or at least diminish, teeth grinding. The injections relax the jaw muscles, keeping the patients from clenching on their teeth.
  4. A number of other small studies have found similar results.

FDA APPROVAL

  • Right now the FDA hasn’t approved Botox to treat teeth grinding, but it can be used for “off label” uses and some doctors are prescribing the treatment to patients.

STATISTICS ON TEETH GRINDING

  • People typically grind their teeth as they sleep.
  • Doctors say the pressure on teeth during grinding can be 20 times harder than chewing.
  • Most people aren’t even aware they do it until their partner says something or their dentist finds evidence during a check up.
  • The condition, which is also known as nocturnal bruxism, effects up to 15 percent of Americans.

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