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Case Study 15

A 30 years old lady with bruxism habit and dislikes her asymmetrical jawline. She was treated by Botox injection to her masseter muscle. She is very happy with her new look!

The masseter muscle (the large chewing muscles located on the jaw in form of the ears) is a major facial muscle located in the jaw that is associated with chewing and teeth grinding, TMJ or Bruxism. Grinding not only damages the teeth, but some dentists and doctors believe it can also cause headaches and facial pain, known as temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) or temporomandibular joint pain (TMJ pain).

An enlarged masseter muscle can result in a wide or square jaw, which can be considered to be quite masculine. By injecting this muscle with Botox, the muscle weakens and over the course of times reduces in size, thereby reshaping the face to achieve softer, more rounded, oval proportions (V-line contouring). A masseter jaw treatment with Botox usually only takes a few minutes and the results can last up to six months. Sometimes Botox is also injected into the temporalis, a fan-shaped muscle that runs from the outer forehead to behind the ear, which is also involved in chewing.