Neurotoxins for Masseters | Washington, D.C., & Arlington

Get Relief for Your
Jaw Tension & Pain

With careful injections of neurotoxins into the major paired jaw muscles—called the masseter muscles—Dr. Cabin dramatically decrease or even eliminate your pain and discomfort related to TMJ disorder.

On This Page Procedure Description Ideal Candidates Gallery Why Dr. Cabin Recovery FAQs Consultation

Neurotoxins for Masseters:

What Is It?

Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ disorder or TMD) is an increasingly common problem in our stressful, modern world.

Usually a result of teeth grinding or clenching in sleep, this sub-conscious muscle flexing generates a large force within this delicate joint, leading to a wide array of uncomfortable symptoms — most commonly headaches, ear pain and tightness or locking of the jaw.

Neurotoxins for masseters is a non-surgical procedure that typically helps patients get a more balanced facial appearance.

However, this injectable treatment can also help alleviate pain and other issues associated with jaw clenching and teeth grinding (bruxism) when injected into the masseter muscles—the muscles responsible for chewing and clenching.

How Injectables Help

Once Dr. Cabin has diagnosed the root cause of your jaw pain and determined that neurotoxins can help, he’ll inject the neurotoxin into your masseter muscles. The neurotoxins will temporarily relax these muscles, reducing their ability to contract.

This relaxation of your masseter muscles relieves the strain on your jaw joint and surrounding structures, which reduces your jaw clenching and teeth grinding. Simultaneously, the treated masseters gradually slim down due to their inactivity, which results in a more proportionate facial appearance.

Most importantly, this treatment gently reduces the strength of your masseter muscle group over time, lessening its ability to generate the large force, or contraction, that causes you pain.

Do You Need Neurotoxins for Masseters?

If you experience jaw clenching or teeth grinding (bruxism) or desire a more balanced facial appearance, you might be an excellent candidate for neurotoxins for masseters treatment.

This non-surgical solution is especially suitable if you:

Have well-defined masseter muscles that contribute to an overly square or robust lower face
Want to relax and reshape your masseter muscles to create a more balanced, attractive jawline
Need to reduce excessive muscle contractions to alleviate the discomfort associated with your bruxism or TMJ disorder

Dr. Cabin's expertise in neurotoxins for masseters treatment ensures that your unique concerns are addressed with precision and care. Whether you're seeking functional improvement or facial contouring, Dr. Cabin can guide you through a personalized treatment plan to help you achieve your desired results.

Results

Check out the natural-looking and subtle results of his other patients from Washington, D.C., Arlington, and across the country who have chosen to find relief for their TMJ disorder, bruxism, or jaw pain with Dr. Jonathan Cabin.

Why Choose
Dr. Cabin?

Neurotoxins for masseters provide a non-surgical solution to reshape your jawline. If you're dealing with an overly square or bulky jaw, this treatment can help you get a slimmer, more balanced facial appearance. Dr. Cabin's expertise lies in precision injections to relax and slim the masseter muscles.

As an expert in minimally invasive procedures, Dr. Cabin's goal is to relieve jaw tension and discomfort and bring balance to your facial features using this non-surgical treatment to create a jawline that complements your unique face shape.

Recovery

After undergoing neurotoxins for masseters treatment, you can anticipate a relatively straightforward recovery process.

You might experience some mild tenderness at the injection site, but this discomfort is usually short-lived and can be managed with over-the-counter pain relievers. Swelling, if any, is minimal and typically resolves within a few days.

The results of your treatment will gradually become noticeable over the course of a week or two as the neurotoxin takes effect and the masseter muscles begin to relax. You may observe a reduction in jaw tension and clenching, contributing to a more comfortable daily experience.

Moreover, as the muscles become less prominent, you'll likely notice a gradual refinement of your jawline, achieving a softer and more balanced facial appearance.

Dr. Cabin's expertise ensures that your treatment is tailored to your specific needs and that you enjoy a comfortable recovery and the long-term benefits of a more relaxed jaw.

Neurotoxins for Masseters FAQs

How do neurotoxins work for TMJ disorder?

What if I already have a nightguard for my TMJ?

Patients with TMJ disorder are frequently diagnosed by their dentists because of worn down teeth (from the force of clenching) and are subsequently prescribed a nightguard to protect the teeth from this pressure.

These guards work well to protect the teeth but do little to reduce the force on the joint—thus, the jaw discomfort usually remains. Neurotoxin treatment serves to directly reduce the strength of the problematic muscles, reducing the discomfort they can cause in the joint.

When should I expect results after this treatment?

How long does the treatment last?

Neurotoxins for TMJ disorder typically last 4 – 6 months. Patients will know their last treatment is wearing off when discomfort starts to worsen. At this time, they’re encouraged to get re-treated before their symptoms fully return.

As long as dosing remains the same, the wearing off period typically remains stable for each patient. So once a patient knows how long the neurotoxin treatment lasts, they can get on a simple routine for injection frequency.

What are the side effects of Neurotoxins for TMJ disorder?

In the short term, patients may note some soreness in the jaw for a few days, especially when chewing. This is normal and related to mild muscular inflammation from the injection sites.

On rare occasions, a small bruise may show up at one of the injection sites. The bruise is typically small—about the size of a pencil eraser—and diminishes in several days.

With the typical dose of neurotoxins for TMJ disorder, patients tend to have no functional side effects. Occasionally, there will be a one- to two-week period where patients feel they have to apply some extra effort to chewing tough or hard foods, like beef jerky or hard crackers.

This is unusual at the typical dosing but can become more common if a patient has a particularly severe TMJ disorder and requires a higher dose of neurotoxins to get relief.

Are there any cosmetic benefits or concerns with Neurotoxins for TMJ disorder?

TMJ disorder involves overworking your masseter muscles, which—like any workout—causes these muscles to enlarge.

Because the masseter muscles sit on either side of the back portion of the jaw—and thus add to the structure of the jaw—their enlargement can cause the jaw to appear squarer or widened. Many people with TMJ disorder will thus also comment that the shape of their face has changed.

Because neurotoxins weaken the masseter muscles and lead them to decrease in size, this treatment will typically also narrow the jaw. This is a desirable cosmetic benefit for most patients, as it reduces the square/widened jaw. In fact, many patients get this treatment to reduce discomfort and change the shape of their faces.

Some patients without TMJ disorder will even get masseter neurotoxin to narrow their jawline and create a more heart-shaped face.

Neurotoxins for Masseters