My Experience Receiving Botox for TMJ

** Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and I can only recommend services based on my experience with them. Please consult your doctor before undergoing any procedures.**

Why I Got Botox Injections for TMJ

If you’ve never heard of it, TMJ is Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction. Which simply means that where the temple (temporo-) and jaw bone (mandibular) join together there is swelling, discomfort, or malfunction. What this equates to for most people is pain near their chewing muscles along the jaw bone up below their ears. It can come from any number of things, misaligned teeth where you chew, injury to your teeth, cavities and dental work, muscular injury to the chewing muscles, or in my case, grinding your teeth at night due to stress. I’ve always been a high-stress person, even on my days off according to my husband, but I never thought it would end up causing me physical pain.

I actually heard about Botox for TMJ for the first time when I was going in to get a facial. I asked for ibuprofen and told the tech about how I had recently had a crown put on one of my molars. My bottom left molar had cracked from continuous grinding and jaw clenching at night! So you can imagine how long I had been carrying that stress. Now my tooth nerve was trying to recover, and it was having a hard time with my jaw clenching when I slept.

One of the assistants at a med spa was listening to my pity party mentioned that she had recently gotten botox for her TMJ and now her jaw felt like heaven! Botox, for your jaw?! I was skeptical at first even though I have had botox for my forehead before. So, naturally being the expert Googler that I am, I went home and did my research to find out what it was all about.

My Experience Getting Botox Injections for Jaw Pain

Before any med spa appointment, I always research what I am going to be getting done in order to understand and know what to expect from the treatment. My first search is typically is for the bad side effects, more on those later. I eventually after talking with Spencer decided that it was worth the potential upside to get it done. So I called and made an appointment. You can find my recommendations for places to get Botox for TMJ at the end of this post.

Getting the injection is easy and virtually discomfort free! You feel a small prick when the needle goes in, and that is it. With the jaw, there are usually several injection sites on both sides of the face with a small needle. The goal is to get the masseter muscle to relax, and that requires botox in several places.

The Results after the Treatment

It takes about seven days for the Botox to kick in, and 3 weeks to visually see the results. Some people report results as soon as two days after, but my experience with Botox has always been about seven days. So as always, manage your own expectations by understanding that there is some difference between people’s bodies and their reactions.

The Benefits of Getting Botox for TMJ

Of course, the treatment wouldn’t be worth getting if there wasn’t an upside or two! Here are the pros that I have since getting botox in my masseter muscle:

• pain relief in my jaw
• ability to open mouth wider
• less jaw clicking
• less distress to my teeth and dental work
• a heart-shaped face with less of a round face look

The Side Effects of Getting Botox for TMJ

As I mentioned before, I’m not a doctor or medical professional of any kind, so you should consult with a doctor before you decide on any procedure, cosmetic or otherwise. Here is a list of all the possible side-effects that I found, or heard about before my treatment. Any side-effects I experienced are bolded and explained further below

• headache immediately after
• flu-like symptoms
• temporary eye-lid droop
• respiratory infection
• redness at spot injection
• bruising
• antibodies can render the TMJ botox treatment useless over time
• double vision
• difficulty speaking
• excessive muscle weakness
• hoarse voice

The above symptoms are the ones I discovered during my research, and some apply to general botox as well. I haven’t experienced any of the above side-effects personally, any of the times that I received Botox for my “11” lines on my forehead, so I was confident that they wouldn’t show up after my jaw treatment. After all, was said and done, I only had one negative symptom, and that was a headache immediately after treatment. I’m not even sure if it was caused by receiving the treatment, because the positive effects are delayed, and I had such aggravating pain leading up to the treatment. Actually, the worst thing about getting Botox for TMJ isn’t even related to the treatment.                                                                                        

Botox for TMJ Cost

The major downside to this procedure is that it costs more than I would like. The cost of Botox injections for TMJ is calculated by the number of units used. In Utah, each unit ranges from $8-15, depending on sale prices, the location providing the treatment, and the quantity purchased at once. For my treatment (and most other TMJ treatments) it is a total of 40 units, or 20 units per side. Please do not get botox that is under the market value of $8. Quality neurotoxin should be costing your injector about $8 a unit. Anything less means that it was imported (not up to FDA standards/could have anything in it), or it has been diluted (meaning it won’t last as long, if at all).

That means that if you get 40 units, which is a common amount, at $10, the treatment will be $400. Keep in mind that there will be 2-4 injection sites per side, so that cost goes up quickly. Expect anywhere from $200-600 for a complete treatment.

Botox provides relief for TMJ from anywhere between 3-6 months, so that’s another thing to keep in mind. This depends entirely on how your body breaks down the drug. This varies from person to person and can only be found out through personal trial. My treatment has lasted over 6 months, but it is by no means a permanent procedure.

Botox for TMJ Before and After Pictures

My Honest Review

I would absolutely recommend this treatment to someone looking for a way to alleviate the pain caused by tension in the jaw. Since the injections, I have found myself having fewer headaches since my treatment, and I don’t wake myself up in the middle of the night from biting down on my teeth. I have slept better and felt better during waking hours. I’ve spent a lot less time thinking about my face hurting! I could definitely use a bit more Botox this round to get complete pain relief, but I prefer to err on the side of caution with Botox therapy. I do plan on going back in to get a second round of treatment when this Botox wears off!

Where to Get TMJ Botox in Salt Lake City, Utah

If you are from around Salt Lake City, I have a recommendation of the perfect place to get Masseter botox injections. I’ve been to a lot of different injectors and had a variety of experiences. The bad ones include being pressured to get more botox than I wanted in different areas, and botox that didn’t seem to work as well as it is intended (insert side eyes here). However, I finally found a medical aesthetic place I love! The Center Medical is owned by Dr. Julie Nielsen. She’s been injecting for 15+ years and finally opened her own practice!

Dr. Nielsen has a balanced approach to aesthetics, and promotes using injections to enhance natural beauty. She is highly skilled, and absolutely loves to share her knowledge with all of her clients. During my visits with her, she takes care to teach me about the products she is using and how they will work with my body and face. She believes in helping women and men feel their best, both physically and mentally. I highly recommend her!

Where to Get Masseter Botox in San Diego, California

Now that I am living in San Diego, I have been able to experience getting Botox in my jaw for TMJ pain around SD County. Since moving to here, I have gone back to see Julie in Salt Lake a few times, but eventually needed to find a home base injector local to me. Someone recommended checking out Proof Aesthetics located in Carlsbad, CA because their team was kind and they have a great nurse practitioner that does their injecting.

Now, living closer to Downtown San Diego, just 15 minutes from the border, the drive to Carlsbad is about 40 minutes on a good traffic day. But let me tell you, it was so worth it to drive up to Proof! First, their facility is gorgeous, inviting, and immaculate. It may seem silly, but when you have someone messing with your face, it really helps that their facility looks up-to-par. I was able to meet the owners who were there and they were so kind, treating me like an old friend. I saw NP Amina who was thorough and even drew out a grid on my face with a pencil to plan out my injections. I got 20 units per side, and after 13 days, these were my before and after results below. I’ll definitely be going back to Proof for injections and other treatments.

Thank you for reading Lauryncakes. If you have any questions or comments there is space below for you! I read all my comments and try to respond promptly. If you want to see more of me make sure to follow @lauryncakes