I’ve always been a fan of Botox – even though I’ve never done it. I think people should be able to whatever they want to their face/body…even if that may look different for everyone. Personally, I never thought I truly needed Botox, BUT I started looking into it after I read about the benefits if you have TMJ.
It wasn’t until like 2 years ago that I realized I have major jaw issues. I had been seeing a new dentist, and he randomly asked me if my jaw hurt. I didn’t think anything of it until I actually started to think about it. My jaw did REALLY EFFING HURT. It would click when I opened it, and almost feel like it was unhinged. I tried the night guard route, but I’m horrible with being consistent with it, and at this point, it probably wouldn’t even fit my mouth. So when I read that Botox could actually help TMJ, I was definitely interested.
It just so happened that recently, a new studio opened in the city, Tonic. They have a modern approach to aging, and provide a guide to formulate a personalized plan for you. What I loved about Tonic is that they’ve partnered with Dr. Hadley King, a board-certified dermatologist who specializes in medical and cosmetic dermatology. She is a highly educated dermatologist, and that was a big selling factor for me.
In full disclosure, I partnered with Tonic to create some content for Instagram and their social media channels. But since I had such a great experience, I wanted to write a full blog post about it!
Symptoms From My TMJ
I learned that TMJ is very much triggered by stress – both physical and emotional. When I’m stressed my jaw muscles are the first to tense up. Some of the symptoms/pain I experience is:
- Sore jaw
- Pain around my neck and ears
- Clicking noise in my jaw when I open and close
- Clenching
- Grinding
- Ringing my my ears
Benefits of Botox for TMJ
I don’t know if it was all in my head, but once I got Botox in my jaw, I immediately felt relief. Botox literally just relaxes your muscles. I worked with Dr. King to determine what would be best in terms of the number of injections that I would benefit from the most. Over the last month, I noticed a significant decrease in the clenching of my jaw, and I can open/close my mouth with no pain. Since I’ve gotten Botox, I want to make sure my muscles stay as relaxed as possible so here are some tips:
- Yoga and deep breathing
- Be cognizant of my posture
- Recognize when I’m clenching my jaw and work to relax it
- Focus on keeping teeth apart when not eating
- Avoid sticky/tough foods.
Did you know you can relieve pain from TMJ with Botox?!? If you’re in the NYC area, I highly recommend Dr. Hadley King at Tonic Studio. I know I’ll definitely be back!
