For years dentists have been able to give their patients natural-looking, youthful teeth using a variety of restoration, straightening, and whitening techniques. Now, at [City, State’s] [Practice Name], we are able to offer our patients a true, total smile makeover using Botox and dermal fillers.
Not so long ago, you had to set up multiple appointments with separate professionals in order to rejuvenate your whole smile — lips, cheeks, and surrounding areas included. But today, because of [his/her] extensive training in injection administration, facial anatomy, and esthetics, [City] dentist [Provider Name] can erase fine smile lines and deeper wrinkles while providing perfectly designed veneers and a straighter smile.
Botox, Dermal Fillers, and Smile Design
As we age, the skin around our mouths and eyes often becomes lined and wrinkled from exposure to natural elements, such as the sun and wind, as well as from the stretching and crinkling that occurs when we eat, smile, talk, and laugh. Botox and dermal fillers like Juvéderm® and Restylane® are different but similar treatments that minimize the appearance of those fine lines and wrinkles.
How Dermal Fillers Work
The body’s natural ability to maintain the smooth, taut, plump appearance of youth diminishes over time. Dermal fillers are injected just under the skin, removing wrinkles and lines, and returning the patient’s skin to a more youthful state. They add volume to the face (specifically the lips), reduce the lines that run from each side of the nose to the corners of the mouth (marionette lines), and reduce the appearance of gummy smiles.
How Botox Works
Botox is a purified protein that, when administered in low doses, relaxes facial muscles, giving skin a smooth, youthful look. It is especially effective around the mouth, where smile lines develop and deepen over time. Botox is popular because it is a nonsurgical, affordable, and effective cosmetic solution with almost no side effects.
Botox and TMJ/TMD
Though Botox is best known for its ability to restore youthful-looking skin, it is also used in the treatment of TMD, a painful disorder that affects the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) in the jaw. TMD/TMJ symptoms are caused by repetitive and sustained clenching and grinding of the jaw and teeth, which often results from underlying stress. TMD/TMJ symptoms include:
- Jaw pain as well as pain in the neck, face, and shoulders
- Inability to open the mouth wide
- Clicking, popping, or grating sounds when moving, opening, or closing the mouth
- Suffering from a locked or stuck jaw
- Severe headaches
- Worn-down or damaged teeth
- Swelling of the jaw muscles resulting in a “squared” or masculine facial appearance
Where other treatments fail, Botox excels at delivering relief for sufferers of TMD/TMJ. When injected directly into the affected jaw muscles, it weakens them, stopping the spasms that lead to clenching and grinding. The injections also help shrink the muscles, taking the facial shape from squared to more of an oval, which is a double benefit for female sufferers.
FAQ
- Few specialists match a dentist’s training in the musculature and anatomy of the face. They have the knowledge it takes to deliver the treatments with precision.
- Dentists are experts at delivering injections, specifically in the face and mouth areas, which ensures extreme accuracy.
- You will receive treatments in a sterile, clinical environment that ensures your safety.
- Your dentist can address all of your facial esthetic concerns at once, and can prescribe and carry out treatments that will lead to the exact final look you desire.
