{"id":3847,"date":"2026-05-14T10:00:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T07:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drmelisulger.com\/?p=3847"},"modified":"2026-10-27T21:14:38","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T18:14:38","slug":"teeth-clenching-treatment-night-guard-or-botox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drmelisulger.com\/en\/teeth-clenching-treatment-night-guard-or-botox\/","title":{"rendered":"Teeth Clenching Treatment: Night Guard or Masseter Botox?"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/span>Why Does Teeth Clenching Happen, and How Is It Treated?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n

Tightness in your jaw when you wake up, a dull ache in your temples or your dentist warning you that your teeth are wearing down\u2026 The common source of these is often teeth clenching (bruxism). Teeth clenching treatment<\/strong> is not a single procedure; it is a plan that aims to protect the teeth, reduce the strength of the jaw muscle responsible for clenching and change the habits that trigger clenching, all together.<\/p>

This plan has three main parts: a night guard made by the dentist, masseter botox<\/a> applied to the chewing muscle, and addressing triggers such as stress and sleep patterns. In this article I explain what each one does, when it is not enough on its own and when they are planned together.<\/p>

When the public thinks of Botox, forehead wrinkles and crow's feet always come to mind. However, the lower part of our face, our strong chewing muscle \u201cmasseter\u201d, is the area that gets tired the most while fighting stress. Between traffic and work, we put all that burden on the jaw muscle by clenching our teeth at night while we sleep.<\/p>

I can tell you this clearly: aesthetics is not always done just to become beautiful. Sometimes it is really done to say \u201coh, finally I am relaxed\u201d.<\/p>

<\/span>Why does the masseter (chewing) muscle get so big?<\/span><\/h2>

Muscles have a simple logic: the muscle that works grows. Just like the arms grow when you go to the gym. The masseter is a chewing muscle located at the back corner of the jaw and is one of the strongest muscles in the human body. Normally, we only use this muscle when we eat and speak.<\/p>

However, when stress, anxiety and sleep disorders come into play, we start to squeeze this muscle with high pressure (bruxism) for hours, especially at night during sleep. Over time, the muscle thickens (hypertrophy) as it repeats that intense training every night.<\/p>

Aesthetically, this thickening leads to a squaring of the lower part of the face and a harsher expression. Medically, it can lead to worn teeth and head and neck pains that do not go away in the morning.<\/p>

<\/span>What Are the Symptoms of Teeth Clenching (Bruxism)?<\/span><\/h2>

My patients usually come with the following sentences: \u201cI don't realize that I am clenching my teeth, but my wife can't sleep because of the noise\u201d or \u201cWhen I wake up in the morning, both sides of my face are stiff.\u201d If you experience some of the following symptoms, you may have bruxism.<\/p>