Botox: An Advancement In Dentistry – An Overview

Botox has been used in the medical field since 1987 principally for its cosmetic treatment of wrinkles on the face and for its therapeutic uses in the management of strabismus, cervical dystonia, blehpharospasm and juvenile cerebral palsy amongst other disorders. The toxin used is botulinium toxin A (BTX-A), which is a neurotoxin, extracted from the anerobic bacteria -Clostridium botulinium. These BTX-A molecules act by inhibiting the release of acetylcholine from presynaptic vessels at the nerve terminals leading to an inhibition of muscle contraction. A growing number of dental surgeons have now been using this toxin as a part of their armamentarium for the management of various muscle-related dental disorders like bruxism, massetric hypertrophy, myofacial pain, trismus, TMJ disorders and for retraining muscles during orthodontic treatment. This procedure has also been found to be a minimally invasive, safe and reproducible alternative to surgery for perioral esthetic enhancement, which includes treating high lip-line cases, gummy smiles and lip augmentation. Pleasing and promising results have been obtained with this technique showing none or mild and transient side effects.DOI:10.21276/AOHDR.1886