For Facial Aesthetics Sheffield, look no further than Sandygate Dental. At Sandygate Dental, our team are trained to assess and treat much more than your teeth. During your oral health assessment, we also look at the muscles of mastication including the masseter muscle. Any abnormalities in facial muscles can lead to jaw pain, headaches, restriction of jaw movements as well as tooth wear from bruxism. Dr Jenny Dorward provides treatment to the masseter muscles to help alleviate jaw pain and improve jaw function, all done by us as your local dentist in Sheffield, without the need for any hospital referral waits.
What is masseter treatment?
For Facial Aesthetics Sheffield, we provide Masseter treatment, which involves injections of small amounts of botulinum toxin (commonly known as Botox) into the masseter muscle. This inhibits the transmission of neuromodulators between nerve endings and muscle fibres, which decreases both the strength of muscle contraction and frequency of muscle spasms. Within 15 days jaw pain is significantly reduced and these effects can last up to 6 months.
The dentists at Sandygate Dental provide evidence-based treatments. Multiple research studies show masseter treatment to significantly decrease pain intensity when given against a placebo treatment. It not only reduces jaw pain, but also improves jaw function and increases mouth opening. Masseter treatment has been generally well tolerated with very few adverse effects reported. The more common side effects of transient muscle weakness, asymmetry and changes to biting are mild and short-lived.
What can it be used for?
Masseter treatment can remedy a range of muscular temporomandibular disorders which gives rise to facial pain, dysfunction, and a reduced quality of life. Pain can manifest as earache, tension within the temple region as well as headaches, and can be related to jaw movements, opening, closing, and chewing. In some cases, you may not be able to fully open your mouth or be prone to getting lock jaw. Temporomandibular disorders have a complex aetiology, and it is therefore essential to have a thorough assessment with your dentist in Sheffield to determine the most suitable treatment for your needs. It may be necessary to combine masseter treatment with other therapies including conservative therapies, occlusal appliances, pharmacology or acupuncture.
As well as treating jaw pain, botulinum toxin can be used to slim the jawline and give a more feminine appearance. This is usually beneficial to patients that have bruxism where the masseter muscles are hypertrophic (increased in size). The masseter muscle has been overworked to become thicker, increasing the width of the jaw. Over repeated masseter treatments, the muscle can atrophy to cause jawline slimming.
A course of 3 treatments is usually advised, spaced 3 months apart, for the most effective results. This gives the masseter muscle time to atrophy to prevent it from returning to its full strength to maintain symptom relief and manage chronic pain, as well as jawline slimming.
Who can offer this treatment?
Masseter treatment must be carried out on CQC-registered premises (such as dental practices and hospitals) as opposed to other types of botulinum toxin injection which are much less regulated. Dr Jenny Dorward has gained a level 7 certificate in Aesthetic Medicine which is the gold standard for providing non-surgical injectable treatments to the head and neck. If this treatment for Facial Aesthetics in Sheffield sounds like something you may benefit from, contact Sandygate Dental, your local dentist in Sheffield to book a consultation.
Why choose us
Want to know more about what other people think of our services? Check out our reviews on Working Feedback. We are always improving and listening to our patients. We seek feedback and strive to improve our patient experience. We are lucky, as an independent Practice we have the flexibility to make changes and improvements quickly, and this is encouraged.
