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The masseter is the muscle you can feel bulge at the back of your jaw when you bite down. Put your
fingers just in front of your earlobe and clench. That hard band under your fingers is it.
For some people that muscle never switches off. It works overnight, and it works through a stressful
afternoon.
The result is a jaw that aches in the morning. Teeth wear down faster than they should. The lower
face can start to look wider than it used to.
It reduces how hard the muscle can squeeze.
The injection goes into the masseter and softens the contraction. You chew normally afterwards,
because other muscles do that work. The aim is to turn the volume down, not to switch it off.
What changes first is the clenching you are not choosing to do. That is the part doing the damage.
No, and this is where clear expectations help.
Grinding starts in the brain, not in the jaw. Botox does not touch what starts it. It makes the
muscle less able to generate the force, so the same grinding does less damage.
People describe the difference as waking up without the ache.
A night guard is a night guard. If your dentist fitted you with one, wear it. The two do
different jobs, and this does not replace dental care.
Sometimes, and this catches people out in both directions.
A masseter that has worked overtime for years gets bigger, the way any muscle does. Softening it can
let it come back down over a few months. Some people want that and some people are not expecting it.
Tell us which one you are. If you want relief and no change to your face, say so at the assessment.
It changes how the treatment is planned.
Slower than a forehead treatment.
The masseter is thick and strong, so it responds more slowly than the small muscles around the eyes.
Give it a couple of weeks before you judge anything.
If you have clenched for years, the ache easing is usually the first thing you notice.
There are a few situations where this is the wrong answer.
Jaw pain from the joint itself is a different condition. Clicking, locking or pain inside the
joint needs its own assessment.
Pain from a cracked or infected tooth can present as jaw ache. That one is a dentist, not us.
Injectables are generally avoided for anyone with a neuromuscular condition. The same applies to
anyone pregnant or breastfeeding. Both need a proper conversation first.
If you are unsure which of these applies to you, that is what the assessment is for.
You clench, and we find the muscle. We work out how strong it is on each side. Plenty of people
clench harder on one side, and that shows up straight away.
Then we talk about what you want from it. The facial slimming question changes the plan.
The injections take a few minutes. You go back to your day afterwards. The usual advice applies:
upright for a few hours, and no gym that evening.
If your jaw aches most mornings, book an assessment. If your dentist has pointed at wear on your
back teeth, book one sooner. Enamel does not grow back.
We offer masseter Botox in London, Ontario.
Belita Savage, our nurse practitioner, will tell you plainly if she thinks the problem is somewhere
other than the muscle.
Stay informed with expert insights, treatment guides, and the latest developments in medical aesthetics from Nurse Practitioner Belita Savage.
