I'm back!
I took last week off from the blog as things were quite stressful and busy at home. We are in the process of moving house so if you have already moved you'll know how many odds and ends, forms and letters there are to sort out. It was death by paper put it that way. We are in that weird limbo land now, with our fate lying in the solicitors hands so that means I can be back to doing what I love.. Blogging.
There literally is a first time for everything.. Obviously my blog has kind of turned into my beauty/ a bit of my life diary so I guess it's only right I share all of my beauty experiences with you.
So my most recent first.. Botox! Yes I tried Botox. It was inevitable to be honest, I just cant help myself but try these things. You never know if you don't try right?
I imagine a lot of you will already have had Botox so your probably thinking what's new? Well, I didn't have my Botox in any of the conventional places - I had it in my jaw. You can see why I'm doing this post now can't you?
The treatment itself is known as a jawline reduction treatment and I was treated by an amazing doctor at CosmeDocs surgery in Derby. I have been following the company for a while on Instagram and it was when they posted a before and after image of a guy that had received the treatment that it really caught my eye.
It wasn't for the obvious reasons suggested by the title of the treatment that I decided to have this done. The post that had caught my eye originally was the image featured in the picture at the top of this post. The caption explained how this treatment can reduce something that I have been struggling with every night for years - teeth grinding.
I've already written in my previous post about my anxiety. It's just a part of me these days but it does cause me to get annoyingly tense. Most people let go of tension when they go sleep but people that grind their teeth don't. I'm not saying the root cause of all tooth grinding will be stress or anxiety but for me it definitely is. I was going to bed stressed and grinding my teeth as a result, waking myself up during the night and waking up with a really tight and painful jaw area in the morning. No matter how much I tried not to do it, it was out of my control - it was happening subconsciously.
Constant teeth grinding damages them by wearing them away, or totally cracking in severe cases! It can also cause the masseter muscle to enlarge which ultimately after a long period of time gives the appearance of a squarer face, the facial muscles are the same as any muscle you train - they get bigger.
I had seen my dentist a few times and he wanted me to wear a gum shield every night - not comfortable! The Botox treatment appeared to be the answer to my problem. I found out more information about it, where I would be injected, recovery time, costing ect and once I felt I had looked into it as much as possible I booked my consultation. I wasn't even nervous for some reason!
Even on the morning of the appointment I still wasn't nervous. I was actually excited by the concept of no more grinding at night. When I arrived at the clinic I was given a thorough consultation card to fill out to check I had no contra-indications for the treatment. Form filled out I was all set to go..
Dr Bhatti came to collect me and I went in for my consultation which is part of the initial process. He asked me my reasons for wanting the treatment, explained how he would carry it out, the aftercare and future treatment plan as well as answering any questions I had. He also felt around my jaw and agreed that I had certainly built up quite a masseter muscle with all the grinding. As I have said already, I had no nerves about having this done but had I been nervous Dr Bhatti would have definitely put my mind at ease. He was so knowledgeable, easy to talk to and calming - not at any point did the treatment or consultation feel rushed.
Once all was agreed I hopped into a dentist like chair and Dr Bahtti injected two points on either side of my face after carefully determining the correct places. Obviously this was my first time getting Botox so I was imagining it too hurt a little or sting but honestly.. Not a thing! The needles were insanely small and i swear i didn't even feel a scratch - Amazing.
So basically i had Botox injected into my masseter muscles to partially relax them. This will help reduce them in size and hopefully prevent me from grinding my teeth during the night. Hopefully it will also help me have a better nights sleep now I'm not disturbing myself. Another plus from this treatment is that it can help slim the face of someone who has been tooth grinding for a long period of time as the muscles are not being used half as much so muscle size will deplete! The whole treatment from consultation to finish was over in 30 minutes, not one bit rushed but time effective.
So what happens now? Well first there is a top up appointment 2 weeks later. This is a quick 15 minute appointment just to make sure everything is in check and a second set of injections are carried out. At this appointment a 3 month review appointment is made to review results and have a further set of injections. From then on treatments will only be needed every 6 months roughly to maintain the effects.
The cost was £250 for the initial treatment. This included my consultation, first set of injections and 2 week top up. Each treatment thereafter will cost £250-£300, this is dependant of gender - ladies have slightly less toxin then men due to muscle size and strength which reflects in cost.
Aftercare wise, i had to chew on a piece of gum immediately after the injections for 45 minutes just to keep the muscles moving and get the Botox to move around the muscle. I wasn't to lay flat on either side of my face for 6 hours and Dr Bhatti told me that over the next week my jaw might ache and get tired easily, especially when eating. I don't eat chewy meat so I've been fine to be honest.
I'm back for my top up on Thursday, technically i should have gone last Thursday but due to circumstance Dr Bhatti needed to rearrange to the following week.. I'm so excited! My first experience of getting Botox has been a dream, its definitely not aesthetic Botox, more functional lets say. I am already sleeping better, not grinding to the same extent or waking up with a painful jaw area. The swelling in the lower half of my face also seems to have reduced ever so slightly - Bonus!
I've taken a few pics to share the beginning of my journey with you, from prior to the treatment, one week after and two weeks after. Please excuse the no makeup morning face in pic 1 and 2, also my daughter's hand and half hairstyle she was doing in week 1 photo! Realistic side of blogging with little people captured you could say. Following my top up appointment i will carry on tracking my results with weekly pictures and update you after my 12 week review. So far i would recommend this treatment to anyone suffering the same problems and its only been 2 weeks! Jawline reduction isn't a highly known about procedure at the moment so hopefully this post will be of help to others with the same struggles.
http://www.cosmedocs.co.uk/our-clinics/derby/
I've already written in my previous post about my anxiety. It's just a part of me these days but it does cause me to get annoyingly tense. Most people let go of tension when they go sleep but people that grind their teeth don't. I'm not saying the root cause of all tooth grinding will be stress or anxiety but for me it definitely is. I was going to bed stressed and grinding my teeth as a result, waking myself up during the night and waking up with a really tight and painful jaw area in the morning. No matter how much I tried not to do it, it was out of my control - it was happening subconsciously.
Constant teeth grinding damages them by wearing them away, or totally cracking in severe cases! It can also cause the masseter muscle to enlarge which ultimately after a long period of time gives the appearance of a squarer face, the facial muscles are the same as any muscle you train - they get bigger.
I had seen my dentist a few times and he wanted me to wear a gum shield every night - not comfortable! The Botox treatment appeared to be the answer to my problem. I found out more information about it, where I would be injected, recovery time, costing ect and once I felt I had looked into it as much as possible I booked my consultation. I wasn't even nervous for some reason!
Even on the morning of the appointment I still wasn't nervous. I was actually excited by the concept of no more grinding at night. When I arrived at the clinic I was given a thorough consultation card to fill out to check I had no contra-indications for the treatment. Form filled out I was all set to go..
Dr Bhatti came to collect me and I went in for my consultation which is part of the initial process. He asked me my reasons for wanting the treatment, explained how he would carry it out, the aftercare and future treatment plan as well as answering any questions I had. He also felt around my jaw and agreed that I had certainly built up quite a masseter muscle with all the grinding. As I have said already, I had no nerves about having this done but had I been nervous Dr Bhatti would have definitely put my mind at ease. He was so knowledgeable, easy to talk to and calming - not at any point did the treatment or consultation feel rushed.
Once all was agreed I hopped into a dentist like chair and Dr Bahtti injected two points on either side of my face after carefully determining the correct places. Obviously this was my first time getting Botox so I was imagining it too hurt a little or sting but honestly.. Not a thing! The needles were insanely small and i swear i didn't even feel a scratch - Amazing.
So basically i had Botox injected into my masseter muscles to partially relax them. This will help reduce them in size and hopefully prevent me from grinding my teeth during the night. Hopefully it will also help me have a better nights sleep now I'm not disturbing myself. Another plus from this treatment is that it can help slim the face of someone who has been tooth grinding for a long period of time as the muscles are not being used half as much so muscle size will deplete! The whole treatment from consultation to finish was over in 30 minutes, not one bit rushed but time effective.
The cost was £250 for the initial treatment. This included my consultation, first set of injections and 2 week top up. Each treatment thereafter will cost £250-£300, this is dependant of gender - ladies have slightly less toxin then men due to muscle size and strength which reflects in cost.
Aftercare wise, i had to chew on a piece of gum immediately after the injections for 45 minutes just to keep the muscles moving and get the Botox to move around the muscle. I wasn't to lay flat on either side of my face for 6 hours and Dr Bhatti told me that over the next week my jaw might ache and get tired easily, especially when eating. I don't eat chewy meat so I've been fine to be honest.
I'm back for my top up on Thursday, technically i should have gone last Thursday but due to circumstance Dr Bhatti needed to rearrange to the following week.. I'm so excited! My first experience of getting Botox has been a dream, its definitely not aesthetic Botox, more functional lets say. I am already sleeping better, not grinding to the same extent or waking up with a painful jaw area. The swelling in the lower half of my face also seems to have reduced ever so slightly - Bonus!
I've taken a few pics to share the beginning of my journey with you, from prior to the treatment, one week after and two weeks after. Please excuse the no makeup morning face in pic 1 and 2, also my daughter's hand and half hairstyle she was doing in week 1 photo! Realistic side of blogging with little people captured you could say. Following my top up appointment i will carry on tracking my results with weekly pictures and update you after my 12 week review. So far i would recommend this treatment to anyone suffering the same problems and its only been 2 weeks! Jawline reduction isn't a highly known about procedure at the moment so hopefully this post will be of help to others with the same struggles.
As always i love to hear from you! Leave your questions and comments below and i will get back to you asap. Hope you've enjoyed!
Bethany xx
Bethany xx
http://www.cosmedocs.co.uk/our-clinics/derby/
Anxiety is a serious issue many people don't want to deal with. But, it can lead to health issues like the teeth grinding you're experiencing. You're right about how the grinding of teeth can wear your normally healthy teeth down. I'm glad you've found something that can help. A first time for anything can lead to better health!
ReplyDeleteMarco @ Natural Dentistry
Hi Marco,
DeleteYour right it is. It's a really hard thing to admit and open up about for people due to lack of knowledge and awareness.
The injections have been amazing. To not be grinding my teeth anymore and knowing they are safe from wear makes the treatment more than worth every penny.
I'm pleased you agree!
Bethany.