Have you ever gone on vacation and then realized that you forgot your mouth guard? Do you wake in the morning with jaw pain? Do you feel like you have a square or masculine lower face? Masseter Botox can help with all these concerns.
Masseter Botox is one of the most requested uses for neuromodulators. This treatment can help you achieve a slimmer lower face, improved facial contour and give you the appearance of a more defined jawline. It can also be used for treatment of Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD) and bruxism.
What Does Botox in the Masseter Do?
To answer this question, let’s take a step back…what is Botox? Botox is a purified form of botulinum toxin type a, which is FDA approved for treatment of Hyperhidrosis, Cervical Dystonia, Urinary Incontinence, Migraines, Spastic Disorders and Strabismus, as well as the cosmetic treatment of fine lines of expression in the forehead, glabella, and crow’s feet regions. It can also help to relieve the symptoms associated with masseter hypertrophy.
What is the masseter muscle?
The masseter muscle is the strongest muscle in your body in terms of pressure exerted. It’s the one that allows you to chew hard foods (like nuts) and take big bites (like when you eat an apple or a double cheeseburger). Your jaw muscle starts at your zygoma (cheekbone) and wraps around the bottom of your mandible (jawbone). It causes the squareness to the side of the face. The masseter functions to hinge the lower jaw up and down around the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).
Relaxing this muscle with a botulinum toxin injection will help to reduce jaw clenching or grinding and can improve symptoms of TMJ. This is why many dentists offer the procedure.
In the world of cosmetic surgery and dermatology, masseter Botox is generally used to provide a slim lower face shape.
How Does Jaw Botox Work?
Botox (and Dysport) work by interrupting the nerve signal transmission to the muscle fibers. The neurotoxins bind to the receptor for the signal and keep the message from getting through.
Masseter Neuromodulator FAQs
What are the benefits of masseter Botox?
Can masseter Botox help with teeth grinding?
Yes! Many patients use masseter Botox for this very reason! By decreasing the strength of the masseter muscle, you will likely notice an improvement in nighttime teeth grinding and daytime jaw clenching. Many patients note a decrease in jaw pain after a masseter Botox treatment.
How does masseter Botox slim your face?
The masseter muscles are just like every other muscle in your body, the more you use them, the bigger and stronger they get. Having a bulky masseter is not generally considered a feminine facial feature and as such, many women are looking to attain a delicate, but defined, jawline.
Botox treatment will help to relax the masseter muscle, causing a degree of atrophy (muscle loss) and reducing the size of the muscle and contouring the jawline.
How long does Botox in masseter last?
The results of any neuromodulator treatment are not permanent. In general, the effects of Botox last for about 3-5 months. Because the masseter is a larger muscle than most in the face, it requires larger doses to achieve a nice result. As such, masseter Botox injections may last longer than your other facial treatments.
For most patients, I recommend repeating the treatment after 3 months, but after the first two injections, you may not need to do it again for a while.
How many units of Botox are typically used for masseter reduction?
There are several considerations when deciding how many units of Botox should be used for your masseter reduction treatment. For this reason (and others), you want to make sure you choose an experienced board-certified professional for your masseter injection treatment.
- What is your goal? Using Botox to slim your face will likely require more units than if you are simply looking to get relief from clenching or grinding.
- How strong is your muscle now? Stronger muscles may require more units.
- How large is your muscle now? A more significant change in the size may require more units.
- Is it your first time or a retreat? Retreatment may require fewer units than the initial treatment.
All said, I generally start with 6-8 Botox units per side for grinding and 12-18 units per side for facial slimming.
Is masseter Botox expensive?
Hands down, the most common questions we receive are related to cost. So how much does masseter Botox cost? Because most clinics charge for neuromodulators by the unit, you will likely pay more for masseter Botox than for any other single area of Botox. At Imagen, we charge $13 per unit for Botox, $4 per unit for Dysport. A masseter treatment could cost between $150 to $500 depending on your goals.
What are the side effects of Masseter Botox?
The most common side effects of any neuromodulator injection are injection site bruising and mild discomfort. Some patients describe headache after a Botox injection.
Some patients will notice some weakness in their bite strength. It is not usually significant enough to cause trouble with eating or chewing. If this is a concern for you, talk with your injector about starting with fewer units. If you are very worried about it, you may not be a good candidate and should discuss other treatment options with your provider.
There are several muscles around the masseter that assist in smiling and other facial expression, it is possible to have an unintended effect on these muscles. It is also possible that you could have some asymmetry because of the treatment. This will likely be improved with a touch up injection.
The parotid salivary gland is in the region as well, Botox in the gland may lead to decreased saliva production.
Who is not a good candidate for masseter Botox?
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should not receive any cosmetic treatments. If you use Botox for non-cosmetic treatments, you should ask your healthcare provider before proceeding with masseter treatments. Patients who have body dysmorphic disorder or unrealistic expectations should not undergo cosmetic procedures.
What other treatments are available to help with jawline definition?
SmartLipo with Renuvion is a great treatment for defining the jawline. This minimally invasive treatment has just 2-3 days of downtime and can provide impressive results.
If your issue is a lack of frontal protrusion of your chin, fillers may be a good option to help give the appearance of a stronger jawline.
Skin tightening treatments like Pixel8 and Profound can also help to improve the appearance of your lower face.
A lower face or neck lift may also be an option for you. If you have significant excess skin and feel that you might be ready for plastic surgery, you should discuss this treatment option with a board-certified plastic surgeon.
