Botox for Jaw Pain

Botox is a natural chemical compound made by bacteria called Clostridium botulinums. Typically found in spoiled foods and if you eat the spoiled food it will block the signals from your nerves and paralyzes your muscles. If you ingest too much of the substance, it can cause a reaction called botulism.

But it’s safe because the toxin isn’t digested in your stomach and the dose is a much smaller amount than you’d get in spoiled food.

Doctors have found that shots of Botox can help smooth wrinkles because it relaxes muscles in the face. When people who had migraine headaches and sore jaws used Botox to treat their wrinkles, they told their doctors that their headaches and sore jaws were better. So dentists began to study it as a form of jaw pain treatment.

The short answer is “yes”. In a study of adults who get chronic jaw pain and migraine headaches, injections of Botox significantly reduced the total number of days they had them. With reduced, and in some cases, eliminated jaw pain, patients reported fewer days off work.

Researchers have concluded Botox works for jaw pain because it blocks chemicals called neurotransmitters that carry signals between neurons. Botox blocks this pathway, thereby stopping the chemicals before they get to the nerve endings around your head and neck.