Dr. Blank Discusses How Botox Calms Overworked Jaw Muscles To Stop Headaches

Can Botox Really Help With Chronic Headaches?

Headaches that start at your temples or settle into your cheeks aren’t just “in your head.” They often begin in the muscles you use every day to chew, clench, and grind. We invited Dr. Stephen Blank to walk us through a clear, practical path to relief using targeted Botox—not as a cosmetic fix, but as a precise tool to quiet overworked muscles and cut down chronic pain.

We break down how Botox works at the neuromuscular junction to reduce contraction strength without numbing sensation, why palpation and mapping matter, and which symptoms point to muscle-driven headaches. You’ll hear the step-by-step process Dr. Blank uses to evaluate candidates, from health history and TMJ checks to marking exact injection points across the temporalis and masseter. We also set real expectations: early change in a few days, full effect at two weeks, and about three months of relief, with smart dose adjustments at follow-up to lock in what works.

If you’ve tried medications with limited success, or if a bite guard protects your teeth but doesn’t fully stop clenching, this conversation lays out a combined strategy. We discuss risks and how precise anatomy prevents issues like brow droop, why consistent records help replicate great results, and how long-term deconditioning can even slim a bulky jaw from years of grinding. By keeping treatment localized and data-driven, you can preserve normal chewing and expression while turning down the pain that hijacks your day.

Ready to rethink your headache plan and explore dentist-delivered Botox as a focused, muscle-first solution? Listen now, then subscribe, share with a friend who grinds, and leave a review with your top question for Dr. Blank. Your feedback helps us bring more practical relief to more people.

To learn more about Dr. Stephen Blank visit:
https://www.PSLdentist.com
Dr. Stephen Blank, DDS
184 NW Central Park Plaza
Port St. Lucie, FL, 34986
772-878-7348

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:03):
Welcome to the PSL Dentist Podcast, where healthy
smiles meet real talk.
Hosted by Port St.
Lucie's very own Dr.
Stephen Blank, the one dentistwho's been making the treasure
coast smile for decades.
From one-visted crowns to clearaligners, Botox, and even
lifting threads, yep, yourdentist does that too.

(00:25):
So sit back, open wide, notliterally pleased.
And get ready to sink your teethinto today's episode.

SPEAKER_02 (00:35):
It's not just for wrinkles.
Botox might be the relief yourhead has been waiting for.
Welcome back everyone.
Frederick here, co-host andproducer back in the studio with
Dr.
Stephen Blank, your Port St.
Lucie dentist.
Dr.
Blank, how's it going today?
Frederick, it's great to see youagain.
All is well here.
Perfect.

(00:55):
That's awesome to hear.
So let's just get into it, Dr.
Blank.
Um, can you tell us, uh, canBotox really help with chronic
headaches?

SPEAKER_01 (01:04):
Yes.
Oh, I have more to say.
But that's the answer in anutshell.
Uh many patients suffer fromheadaches and they have no idea
what to do about that.
They take medications and allsorts of other things, and they
just don't get relief.
So when they come to see me witha headache problem, it's really

(01:25):
good to know that we can offersomething that actually helps
many, many patients.

SPEAKER_02 (01:30):
If you don't mind, can you explain what is the
science behind Botox as atreatment for headaches?

SPEAKER_01 (01:36):
Great question to ask.
Botox is a medication that'sbeen derived from the botulinium
bacteria.
They've just, you know, theyknow that botulism can hurt you,
and they figured out how thatworks.
And we don't use the bacteria.
We use that uh medication thatthey uh express, and that's

(01:57):
manufactured in a laboratory andit's clean and sterile.
So there's no chance of gettinga bacteria.
This is goes into a syringe andit's injected in the area where
the nerves and the musclesconnect.
So it's kind of like getting ananesthesia where we numb up a
patient, but this doesn't numbup the nerves.
It goes between the nerve andthe the particular muscle that

(02:18):
we're trying to treat, and itstops the message from going
through, but not completely.
So you don't feel numb.
You just don't have your muscleas strong.
So patients that get headachesup in the temple area here.
If we place Botox into thoseareas, those muscles soften.
They still work, you can, andthat muscle comes down and opens

(02:41):
and closes the jaw.
A lot of people don't connectthis muscle with their jaw, but
they're connected with thetendon.
And that's what pulls the mouthclosed.
If that muscle is in spasm, youget headaches there.
And sometimes that can be theprecursor to migraine headaches.
So when we can control thatmuscle and make it less active,
headaches go away.

(03:03):
The other one we see is patientsthat clench and grind, the big
muscle here that comes down iscalled the masseter.
That muscle, when it's tight,can get facial pain in the
cheekbone.
And when we administer Botox inthat area, that muscle softens
up.
And sometimes patients with abig square jaw will see their
face taper back down to a normalsize over a period of months or

(03:26):
even a year because theirmuscles are not being exercised.
They were like Olympic athletesof jaw clenching, and that's not
a good thing.
So when we can control thatmuscle, especially habitual
clenchers, the ones that do itand don't even know they're
doing that, um, we can helpreally soften their bite and
reduce headaches a tremendousamount.

SPEAKER_02 (03:47):
Wow, that is incredible.
Uh, so how do you determine if apatient is a good candidate for
this?

SPEAKER_01 (03:54):
That's a great question.
That comes down to a really goodhealth history with the patient,
finding out about their symptomsand uh and when things started,
all sorts of good questions thatcan probe into uh which areas
are a concern.
And then there's the clinicalexam.
We literally palpate or feel themuscles in the temple area, on
the face.

(04:14):
We do a jaw exam and check thejoint on both sides, uh, and we
put all that informationtogether to determine would
Botox help this person, uh, oris there some other pathway we
need to be on?

SPEAKER_02 (04:26):
You mentioned that you inject it between the tendon
and the muscle, um, but is therea more specific between the
nerve and the muscle.
Between the nerve and themuscle.
Okay, so that's where the Botoxis typically injected for head
relief.
And and where is that nerve andmuscle located?
Great.

SPEAKER_01 (04:41):
We don't actually have to hit the exact nerve.
We've we feel the muscle, andliterally I hold the patients
like this and have them bite,and I can feel where those areas
are, and then I take my hand offand I mark one, two, three,
wherever those areas are, and weinject in there, and that soaks
in.
Botox doesn't work like uh likeNovocaine, it takes time to soak

(05:03):
through the tissue.
Typically, patients don't feelany change for one or two days,
and by the third day, they'restarting to see a pretty good
effect with maximum effect attwo weeks.
And then uh that effect stayswith them for about three
months, and then the effectstarts to fade away and the
muscle returns to its originalstate, but it's a smaller muscle

(05:26):
at that point, it's not asstrong.
It's like not exercising forthree months, and that's the
result that we want to achieve.

SPEAKER_02 (05:32):
Okay, so about two weeks to full to see the
results, that's the longest itcould take, is two weeks.
And then uh did you say theresults last for six uh three
months?

SPEAKER_01 (05:43):
About three months, yes.
Now at the two-week mark, sinceif it's a new patient, we don't
know how much to inject, we havestandards that we go by.
And then we can reassess.
Some people might need a littleextra.
So that's when we make thosedecisions at the two-week mark.
And then we also chart that uhwith a facial picture where we
mark how much we gave where.

(06:03):
So when they come back for afuture visit, we know this is
what we did for this person,this is what worked, and now we
know what we need to do in thefuture.

SPEAKER_02 (06:11):
And are there any side effects or risks that
patients should be aware of?

SPEAKER_01 (06:15):
Possible allergy, but I haven't dealt with that
ever.
The other one is understandinganatomical landmarks on the
face.
The face has lots of nervescoming out.
So we don't want to anesthetisein an area that's gonna make
somebody have a muscle not workthat you want working.
If we get too close to theeyebrow, we can get an eyebrow
droop.

(06:35):
So when we treat foreheads oreven the muscles here, if we get
too close to the wrong area, um,that can be an inadvertent uh
result.
It it doesn't harm the patient,it just might make them not
smile or look as pretty for awhile.
And uh so we just don't do that.
It's important to know youranatomy, to check each
individual patient carefully,and then I mark every patient

(06:58):
literally on their face with alittle marker.
So when we go to giveinjections, it's not just a
guessing game.
We've already done all of ourhomework.

SPEAKER_02 (07:07):
Wow, that's really detailed.
Uh so how does this type oftreatment compare to, say,
traditional headachemedications?

SPEAKER_01 (07:15):
Well, not just medications, but in a dental
office, we often make patientsbite guard appliances to control
headaches.
And the concern or, well, thethe challenge is not everybody
is willing to wear an appliance.
That's one thing.
So if they just say, I'm notwearing that thing, then Botox
is an option for them.
Some patients have biteappliances, and that helps

(07:36):
protect their teeth frombreaking, from excess clenching
or grinding.
Um, but they may not stopgrinding.
Many do, but some will not.
So sometimes we give them a bikeguard appliance to protect them
from their own muscles, and thenwe also treat the muscles.

SPEAKER_02 (07:52):
Thanks so much for uh explaining all that to us,
and we really appreciate theinsight.
And for all our viewers at home,that brings us to time.
So we'll catch you on the nextone with uh Dr.
Blank on the PSL DentistPodcast.
Thanks for joining us.

SPEAKER_00 (08:10):
That's a wrap for the PSL Dentist Podcast, where
smiles are brighter and laughsare always cavity-free.
To keep your smile in shape,call 772-878-7348 or visit
psldentist.com to schedule yourappointment with Dr.
Stephen Blank, the one stop docfor smiles, beauty, and

(08:34):
everything in between.
Until next time, keep flossing,keep smiling, and keep
listening.