Lately, patients have been asking if I use Botox to treat TMJ pain. The short answer is no. While Botox gives you temporary relief by paralyzing muscle, it doesn’t treat the imbalance causing your pain. Not to get too into the weeds, but as a TMJ specialist I’ll treat the muscle imbalance that’s causing you pain so that it doesn’t return. With Botox, within three months, your muscles re-activate and your pain returns—end of story!
If you’re in pain or locked up (it hurts to eat), I’ll start you off with a QuickSplint(QS). The QS is a simple appliance fit to your bite that brings quick relief by calming the muscles. I consider this our trial phase. 98% of all patients experience immediate relief, but, as this is therapy, it takes a month or more for more sustained benefit. In 8-10 weeks, I’ll re-evaluate, and more than likely recommend a custom bite splint (made by yours truly) to treat your pain and bite issues long term.