Facial Aesthetics
Why Are Dentists Offering Botox? Jaw Pain, Headaches and Smiles
Dentists spend years studying the muscles and nerves of the face. That is why wrinkle relaxers are a natural fit for a dental office, for comfort as much as for cosmetics.
By Dr. Prabha Raju, DDS · July 22, 2026 · 5 min read
Patients are sometimes surprised to learn that Tender Dental Care offers Botox and other wrinkle relaxers. But think about what dentists actually do all day. We give precise, comfortable injections. We spend years studying the muscles and nerves of the face. And we think constantly about how a smile sits within the rest of someone's features. Seen that way, it is less of a leap than it first appears.
It started with jaw pain
For many dental patients, the first experience with a wrinkle relaxer is therapeutic rather than cosmetic. Clenching and grinding, known as bruxism, overwork the large chewing muscles at the angle of the jaw and in the temples. Those muscles are among the strongest in the body for their size, and when they work all night they behave like any other overworked muscle: they ache, they spasm, and they refer pain elsewhere.
The damage is not only muscular. Grinding wears tooth edges flat, cracks fillings, chips porcelain and, over years, can wear through enamel into the softer dentine underneath. Plenty of the cracked molars we treat started as a clenching habit nobody knew about.
How to tell if you are clenching
Most people who grind have no idea they do it, because most of it happens while they are asleep. The giveaways we look for:
- Headaches that are worst first thing in the morning, often at the temples
- Jaw that feels tired, tight or sore on waking
- Front teeth that look shorter or flatter than they used to
- Fillings that keep cracking, or repeated chips on the same teeth
- Teeth that have become sensitive to cold without obvious decay
- A partner who hears grinding at night
- Scalloped edges along the sides of the tongue, or a ridged line along the inside of the cheek
- Clicking, popping or tightness in the jaw joint
You do not need all of these. Two or three together are usually enough for us to start looking at your bite.
What therapeutic injections actually do
A small, precise dose placed in the chewing muscles reduces how hard they can contract. The muscle relaxes, the ache settles, and the force reaching your teeth drops. Relief typically lasts three to four months, and many patients find the habit itself quieter afterward. For an over-developed jawline caused by years of clenching, the same treatment can soften the squareness that comes with it.
It works best as part of a plan rather than on its own. A custom night guard protects the teeth from the contact; the injections reduce the force behind it. Where the bite itself is the problem, adjusting it may matter more than either. We look at all three before recommending anything, and conservative treatment comes first.
From the jaw to the forehead
The same medication, placed in the small muscles of expression, softens frown lines between the brows, horizontal forehead lines and crow's feet. Lines soften over several days and results last roughly three to four months. The technique we use is deliberately conservative: enough to look rested, not so much that your face stops moving. Because we already know your face and how your smile works, we can plan around the whole picture rather than treating one line in isolation.
Fillers and the frame around your smile
Dermal fillers do a different job. Rather than relaxing a muscle, they replace volume that time takes from the cheeks, lips and the lines running from nose to mouth. We use hyaluronic-acid fillers, a substance your body already makes, placed with fine needles or blunt cannulas. Results are immediate and last somewhere between 6 and 18 months depending on the product and the area.
One practical advantage worth knowing: hyaluronic-acid fillers can be dissolved. If you do not like the result, it is adjustable and reversible, which takes a lot of the anxiety out of trying it.
PDO threads for the lower face
PDO threads are dissolvable medical sutures placed just under the skin to lift sagging tissue and stimulate your own collagen. They offer a non-surgical way to define the jawline and soften jowls with minimal downtime. The threads themselves dissolve over several months while the collagen they build lasts beyond that, typically 12 to 18 months of improvement.
Why a dental office is a natural place for this
Three reasons, stated plainly. The anatomy of the lower face is what dentistry is built on, so the muscles involved are familiar territory. Comfortable injecting is a daily skill here rather than an occasional one. And we already know your bite, your smile line and how your face moves when you talk, which is exactly the information you want someone to have before they place anything.
There is also the simple matter of continuity. We see you anyway, twice a year, which makes reviewing a result and adjusting it at the next visit straightforward.
What a visit is like
Treatment takes about 15 minutes. You will feel tiny pinches and nothing more; there is no downtime and most patients come in over a lunch break. For wrinkle relaxers you will see the change develop over several days rather than immediately. For fillers the result is there as soon as any swelling settles.
Is it right for me?
If you clench or grind, wake with headaches, or simply want a refreshed look from a clinician who knows the anatomy well, ask us at your next visit or request a consultation. We will tell you honestly if we think the answer is a night guard rather than an injection, or nothing at all. Call (810) 715-3368 or request an appointment online. We are on N. Genesee Road in Burton, minutes from Flint, Davison and Grand Blanc.
Questions patients ask us
Dentists with the appropriate training provide wrinkle relaxers and fillers within their scope of practice, with a particular focus on the jaw, smile and lower face. Dr. Raju will discuss what is appropriate for you at a consultation.
Typically three to four months. Many patients pair it with a custom night guard and schedule touch-ups alongside their regular cleanings.
You will feel tiny pinches. Dentists give comfortable injections all day long, and most patients say it was easier than they expected.
That is the goal, and it is why dose and placement matter so much. We treat conservatively, aiming for a rested look that still moves like you. You can always add a little more at a review; you cannot take it away.
Often, yes. Treatment takes about 15 minutes with no downtime, so it is easy to add to an appointment you were coming in for anyway. Mention it when you book so we can allow the time.
Have a question about your smile? Ask a Burton dentist who listens.
Tender Dental Care welcomes new patients from Burton, Flint, Grand Blanc, Davison and all of Genesee County. Request a visit online or call and a real person will answer during office hours.
About the author
Dr. Prabha Raju, DDS
Dr. Raju has practiced dentistry in Burton, Michigan since 1997, with advanced training in implants, sedation, laser dentistry and Invisalign.
Meet Dr. Raju →Tender Dental Care, 1024 N. Genesee Rd, Burton, MI 48509. Serving Flint, Grand Blanc, Davison, Flushing, Swartz Creek, Fenton and Genesee County. This article is general information, not a diagnosis; please see a dentist for advice about your own mouth.
