Bruxism (BRUK-siz-um) is a condition in which a person grinds or clenches teeth excessively. If you have bruxism, you may unconsciously clench your teeth when you’re awake (awake bruxism) or clench or grind them during sleep (sleep bruxism).

Mild bruxism may not require treatment. However, in some people, bruxism can be frequent and severe enough to lead to jaw disorders, headaches, damaged teeth and other problems.

Treatment
In clinic we can utilize neuromodulators (same product as during anti-wrinkle injections) to relax the over-active masseter muscles to give relief to this often painful condition without interfering with its function of chewing etc. As the muscle is strong and comparatively large, a larger dose is required. Once adequate dosing is achieved patients usually have relief for 4 to 6 months approximately.
Splints/ mouthguards from the dentist may also help.

This same treatment can be utilized to create jaw or facial slimming by relaxing large or overactive masseter muscles. Results can be seen from as early as two weeks but may require consistent treatments to see results. This treatment is not suitable for everyone, but if it’s something that may interest you, book a complementary consult for us to chat more and assess suitability.