Do you grind your teeth too much?

It's a bit of an unfair question actually, as the majority of teeth grinders do it in their sleep.

So let's rephrase it a little:

Do you often wake up with an aching jaw each morning? If so, it could be beacuse you grind your teeth in your sleep.

Teeth grinding (or bruxism, to give it it's proper medical name) causes tension in your jaw, which can result in lack of sleep, headaches, and even reshape your jawline!

In extreme cases it can lead to costly dental repair work.

But help is at hand.

Carla Ball, 32, a children's author from London, underwent Botox treatment after suffering from tired, aching and enlarged jaw muscles for years. Her dentist failed to diagnose the problem and it was only when a friend suggested that teeth grinding or clenching might be to blame that she researched the problem.

'I used to wake up with jaw pain and headaches that got worse when I was under stress at work and really busy, but I didn't know what caused them,' she says. 'My jaw was also much wider than my cheeks, which didn't really run in my family. When I saw a consultant privately, he told me my masseter muscle was huge, possibly because of clenching and grinding. I was fortunate that my teeth hadn't been badly affected as I clenched more than ground them together. 'I had a Botox injection in the muscle on each side of my jaw and within days the tension in my jaw had stopped. I have them every six months and don't get the pain I used to have as long as I also keep the stress and tiredness under control.'

Belinda Holt, 44, from Harpenden received Azzalure^® treatments for her Bruxism which is an alternative form of Botox.

For many years I had suffered with bad headaches, sore jaw ,stiff neck and disrupted sleep as a result of teeth clenching. My first port of call was to speak to my dentist who fitted me with a mouth guard, but because my mouth/jaw was so sore I could not use it. After a consultation with Dr Jain he suggested Botox which I tried and have to say the results are fantastic! All my symptoms have disappeared and my quality of sleep has improved immensely. Thank-you Dr Jain

You don't have to suffer - teeth grinding can be fixed. For more information, talk to Dr Jain at Riverbanks Clinic; he’s an expert in the use of highly advanced and specialised techniques that will reduce the strength and size of your masseter muscles without stopping you chewing your food.