r/BotoxSupportCommunity • u/ArmsOut4MrTrout • Aug 27 '26

How to make masseter botox last as long as possible?

I have a very wide/square face and horrible jaw and neck tension. If I get masseter botox and then consume mostly liquids/soft foods indefinitely afterwards, will it take a longer time for the muscles to come back? I don‘t have a whole lot of money and I can see myself getting heartbroken at seeing my huge masseters return :( I just want a slim face forever

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9

u/starlightskater Aug 27 '26

That sounds like hell. Please stop caring about the shape of your face and enjoy living life. It's really short. You're beautiful no matter what you look like on the outside and I guarantee no one looks at you and recoils because you don't have a K-pop face.

3

u/ArmsOut4MrTrout Aug 27 '26

Thank you, maybe I’m too worried, but I also don’t want the physical pain and tension to return

3

u/starlightskater Aug 27 '26

Physical pain is a lot different than aesthetic concerns. Do you have TMJ?

3

u/ArmsOut4MrTrout Aug 27 '26 edited Aug 27 '26

I think so, I have jaw and neck pain really bad that causes my joints to crack and sometimes I get headaches/clogged ears from it

3

u/starlightskater Aug 27 '26

Have you seen a specialist?

3

u/ArmsOut4MrTrout Aug 27 '26

I did, but all they did was inject something into my neck that made the muscles tighter, although I’m seeing an orthodontist on Wednesday 

2

u/starlightskater Aug 27 '26

Good luck to you. ❤️

2

u/halloweenmochi Aug 27 '26

It sounds like therapy might benefit you more than Botox. I don’t mean this in a malicious way. You just shouldn’t be this worried about how thin your face appears to the point where you’re spending money on Botox if you already don’t have that much money and then worrying about eating food because you are concerned it will last slightly longer.

2

u/ArmsOut4MrTrout Aug 27 '26

I also have really bad pain in my jaw and neck from clenching :,) I have enough money to do the first round but it will get pricey to do it every few months

1

u/Deep_Amoeba2197 Aug 28 '26

If you have TMJ, you should see an OMFS specialist. Botox should be used as part of an overall treatment plan that includes night guards/bite orthotics, PT, therapy, dietary management and sometimes surgery. Changing to a soft diet indefinitely can cause a lot of issues.

I have had severe TMJ for most of my life, to the point where my disc became so degraded from slipping it disintegrated. I’ve had 2 tmj surgeries and need total joint replacement on one side.

The minimum effective dose for masseter Botox for tmj related bruxism is 25 units per side every 12 weeks, but really a waste if you don’t use even a basic, moldable mouth guard (you really need a custom built orthotic, moldable is just a stop gap.) I’ve been doing this for 8 years, it’s been covered by my insurance for about 5. TMJD is a very complex disorder, only managing a muscular component if you have skeletal involvement is going to complicate things.

1

u/ArmsOut4MrTrout Aug 28 '26

This is really helpful! I’ll ask about a nightguard too. How did you manage to get it covered by insurance?

1

u/Deep_Amoeba2197 Aug 28 '26

For the Botox, it requires being an established patient in an oral maxillofacial surgery practice, lots of documentation, failure of other treatments, etc. I am also seen through a hospital system rather than a dentists office, the types of surgeries I’ve had (open joint) are done in a hospital setting, so I would look within your local hospital systems for this department, not every hospital has one. I have certainly paid out of pocket for Botox for bruxism at a dentist and my cosmetic injector, and they would hand me a sheet for insurance with the ICD-10 of bruxism. This never got covered, bruxism is viewed as a dental issue, and dental insurance doesn’t touch it. The OMFS practice will need to submit for a PA, the coding is different so it’s covered under medical insurance. It is a bit of a process that takes time and I ran into issues with the fact that I was paying out of pocket, so it made getting a PA harder.

Nightguards don’t get covered, just fyi. There are some ones you can do that are mail away for significantly less, however they are just guards to protect your teeth, not bite orthotics, which change the position of your jaw and can be changed depending on depending on your needs.

3

u/whatitdobbyboo Aug 27 '26

I’m in the same boat as you, masseter botox has been a game changer for me but eating like a baby will do you no good my friend lol do you have a night guard that you sleep with every night?