"Before Planning My Wedding..."
"I didn't have any problems with my jaw until about 2 months before planning my wedding. No one had really given me any advice on the amount of stress your body and mind goes through when you're planning a big event like that. Regardless of how organised you are, the stress didn't stop when I realised exactly how much I had to do every day. My body's reaction to this was to clench my teeth and tense my jaw. This got so bad that at times it would wake me up with the intensity of the pain, and I got headaches in the morning."
"Even after my wedding, it continued, and started to change the way my face looks! I had a new, squarer jaw, which my friends and family denied, but I could see my wider jawline and I didn't like it. I could feel myself doing it all day, and well into the night, and it sometimes even made it harder to sleep."
Why Clenching Changes Your Facial Shape
The masseter is one of the strongest muscles in the body for its size. Sustained clenching, particularly overnight, puts it under load for hours at a time, and it responds the way any muscle does: it thickens.
That thickening is called masseter hypertrophy, and it produces a squarer, heavier lower face. It is a common reason people find their jaw looks wider than it used to without any change in weight, and why the shift in facial appearance often puzzles them.
The pattern usually shows up as a combination rather than one symptom alone:
- Waking with a tight or aching jaw
- Headaches concentrated at the temples, often worst in the morning
- Tooth wear, chips, or a dentist raising grinding at a check-up
- Clicking or jaw discomfort in the joint
- A facial profile that has gradually squared off at the angle of the jaw
How Jaw Botox Treatment Works
Small, carefully placed doses of botulinum toxin, given as masseter Botox in London, reduce how forcefully the masseter muscles can contract. The muscle is not paralysed, and normal jaw movement and chewing continue. What changes is the intensity of the involuntary clenching, particularly overnight.
Two things tend to follow. The muscle tension itself eases, which is what patients notice first. Then, over several weeks, the muscle reduces in bulk from being used less forcefully, which is what produces a more contoured jawline.
That second effect is gradual by nature. It follows the same principle as any muscle that stops being worked, and it is the reason jaw slimming treatment in London is measured in weeks and months rather than days.
"During My Consultation..."
"I booked in with Dr Tapan Patel, and during my consultation, I explained my worries to him. He examined the shape of my jaw and asked me to clench so he could see how the muscle reacted, then explained how he could ease the tension by injecting some botox into the muscle. He then mapped out (the fancy cosmetic term for drawing on my face) the planned injection sites and explained how that would affect the appearance of my jaw."
"During the treatment, I could feel a pinch as the needle went into my skin. It was a little bit uncomfortable, but bearable, and I could feel a very slight result straight after treatment."
"My jaw felt a lot more relaxed, and when I clench now, I can barely feel the muscle expanding. After a few days, I was sleeping better and my headaches had gone."
"I am delighted with the results I've seen, and I'd recommend this treatment highly to anyone who suffers with the same concerns."
One patient's account of her own treatment, published unedited. Individual experiences and results vary, and this is not a prediction of outcome for anyone else.
What to Expect
- Timing. Relief from the clenching itself is often noticed within the first week or two. Visible narrowing of the jawline develops more slowly, usually becoming apparent between six and twelve weeks.
- Treatment duration. Results typically last three to six months, so most patients space Botox masseter treatments at roughly that interval. Many find the gaps lengthen with repeat treatment, because the muscle has less bulk to begin with each time.
- Downtime. None in practical terms.
- Aftercare. Stay upright for four hours, avoid strenuous exercise for 24 hours, and avoid massaging the area.
Side Effects
Botox injections into the masseter are generally well tolerated. The most common side effects are injection site reactions: mild tenderness, redness or occasional bruising, all of which settle within a day or two.
Less commonly, patients report temporary chewing fatigue when eating something tough in the first couple of weeks, as the muscle adjusts to working less forcefully. This passes as the dose settles.
Placement matters a great deal here. Injected too high or too far forward, the toxin can affect neighbouring muscles and alter the smile, which is why this treatment should be carried out by a practitioner who treats the masseter regularly. Any concern after treatment should be raised with your clinic rather than left.
Jaw Pain, Muscle Tension and TMJ Disorders
The masseter attaches close to the temporomandibular joint, the hinge that connects the jaw to the skull. When the muscle is chronically overworked, jaw pain, tenderness and restricted movement often follow, and this overlaps with what is broadly described as TMJ disorders.
Reducing the force of clenching takes load off the surrounding structures, which is why people treated for cosmetic reasons frequently report that the aching and headaches ease as well. For anyone living with persistent jaw pain and disrupted sleep, that change in quality of life often matters more than the change in facial shape.
An important distinction: this treatment addresses the muscle, not the joint itself and not the teeth. Anyone with significant joint pain, restricted opening, locking or tooth damage should also be assessed by a dentist or a specialist in jaw disorders, since the underlying cause may need managing separately.
Who It Suits
Masseter treatment at our London clinic tends to suit people who recognise more than one of the following:
- Night-time bruxism, whether the clenching or grinding is self-noticed or flagged by a dentist
- Muscle tension in the jaw and morning headaches
- A lower face that has widened without weight gain
- A desire for a softer, more tapered jawline, whether on its own or as part of wider facial rejuvenation
It is less suited to people whose jaw width comes from bone structure rather than muscle, since reducing muscle activity will not change the underlying skeleton. That distinction is one of the main things an initial consultation establishes.
Book a Consultation at PHI Clinic
Clenching is easy to live with for years without connecting the headaches, the jaw ache and the change in facial appearance to the same cause. At your initial consultation, one of our experienced clinicians will examine the muscle, take a history, and establish whether the masseter is driving it and whether masseter Botox is likely to help in your case.
Book your consultation today and we will talk through what is causing it, the likely number of sessions and the treatment costs. You can also reach us on 0207 034 5999.
Disclaimer: this testimonial is unedited, and may make it seem like consultation and treatment were done on the same day. This is never the case at PHI, due to our 24 hour policy: same day treatments are not available, and we ensure at least 24 hours have passed after consultation to make sure every patient has time to reflect on their decision.
The toxin products we use are manufactured by Allergan.
