By Barney Calman
Even the name sounds painful – bruxism, the unconscious grinding and clenching of the teeth that mostly takes place while we are asleep.
It affects about one in four adults, with symptoms that can include an aching jaw, headaches, gum problems and the danger of tooth enamel being eroded.
The pressure on the teeth during grinding can be 20 times greater than the force As a result, the incisors can end up shorter with sharp edges and tiny chip marks, and the canines can be covered in notches. Teeth can also work loose and fillings be gouged out.

Treatment for bruxism has been basic, with sufferers usually having to wear a mouth guard. But Botox injections, more commonly associated with cosmetic procedures, are now being used as a way of keeping it under control.
Celebrity agent Lee Peterson began waking up with headaches five years ago but was unaware that his problems were originating in the jaw.
‘Some ibuprofen tablets sorted it out,’ he says. ‘But when I was still having headaches a few weeks later, I began to worry.’
In 2004, Lee’s GP ordered blood tests, which came back normal. But the headaches continued and then, eight months later, the pain spread to the middle of his lower jaw. Thinking it was related to a problem with his teeth, he visited his dentist.
‘He said my gums were so swollen, it was as if someone had punched me in the mouth,’ says Lee, 32, who lives near Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, with his wife Sally, a make-up artist, also 32. ‘He said it was likely that grinding my teeth at night was causing the pain.’
The causes of bruxism are not known, but it is thought stress and anxiety may cause tension in the jaw, and that antidepressants may also be a trigger.
Current treatments include stress management and a silicone mouth-guard worn over the teeth at night to protect them.
‘The pain and headaches did go away, but the mouth guard was so uncomfortable I found it hard to sleep, and that was even more stressful,’ says Lee.
The Botox SolutionThen early 2006, Lee woke one morning to find he had chipped a front tooth. His dentist referred him to Kevin Zadshir, a cosmetic orthodontist with the Transform cosmetic surgery group, which, among other things, makes ultra-thin splints for sufferers of bruxism.

During the fitting, Zadshir asked Lee if he would try an experimental treatment using Botox injections. ‘I had heard about Botox being used to prevent wrinkles,’ says Lee. ‘But the dentist said the injections would help to stop the pain by relaxing the jaw muscles, and wouldn’t affect the way I looked. I was willing to try anything.’

Botulinum toxin type A (from which Botox takes its brand name) is a purified form of Clostridium botulinum – a bacteria that causes food poisoning. It inhibits the release of certain chemicals at the junction between a nerve and a muscle when injected, so the message for the muscle to work is blocked and it relaxes.

The effects last for about four months. Botox is approved for treating the painful symptoms caused by muscle spasticity in 20 different neurological conditions, including stroke and cerebral palsy.

A number of studies have shown it could also be an effective treatment for bruxism. ‘There are three sets of muscles involved in moving the jaw,’ says Zadshir. ‘They can become overactive, causing the jaw to clench unconsciously. We inject enough Botox into these muscles so they relax.’

Courtesy Health Mail

Zadshir treated about 30 bruxism patients with Botox last year and claims complete success.

After the 20-minute procedure, Lee went straight back to work. ‘And when I woke the next morning feeling properly rested and without a headache, I was overjoyed,’ he says.

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