Facial Pain
We’ve all experienced face or tooth pain, and we know it’s difficult to ignore.
We can help alleviate the pain.
Symptoms
Facial pain can be caused by injuries, headaches, infections, and jaw / dental problems. Headaches can be a symptom of dental problems lurking under the surface. If you wake up with headaches, and the pain is focused around your jaw or ears, this pain is likely being caused by clenching or grinding your teeth during your sleep.
Botox ($350-400)
When people clench or grind their teeth, their jaw muscles are overactive and overworked. Botox helps reduce the strength of the muscles. In this case, the use of botox is not at all cosmetic—the goal is rather to weaken the muscles by about 20-25%. Even if you continue to clench or grind your teeth, your jaw muscles will be less likely to hurt.
Botox can last anywhere from 6 months to multiple years. We have patients who get Botox at every cleaning visit (every 6 months) and others that we treated once several years ago whose symptoms have not returned.
Occlusal Guards ($200-250)
Occlusal guards, also called nightguards, are mouthguards that cushion tooth-on-tooth contact. They absorb the pressure from teeth-grinding, which in turn protects your teeth from chipping away slowly.
NOTE:
The downside to occlusal guards is that they don’t treat the cause of the pain—they only prevent further damage. While and occlusal guard will help protect your teeth at night, your jaw may still be overworked and cause headaches and pain.
