Botox Treatments
What is “Botox”?
Botox (Purified Botulinum Neuro-Toxin Type A) is harvested from laboratory grown batches of the naturally occurring Clostridium Botulinum bacteria by the Allergan Corporation.
How safe is it?
Botox, like all other naturally derived medications can be toxic if given in excessive doses. Most human treatments use between 100 and 300 units of Botox. The toxic dose for a human adult is 10 times that at 3000 units. Initial treatments do not cause permanent results, so if you wait the effect wears off. Therefore, professionally administered Botox is very safe.
How does it work?
The toxin binds to the end of nerve cells and stops muscles from contracting. Thus, preventing the skin from getting wrinkled due to muscle movement and/or putting an end to muscle strain / sprain / pain.
What do Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon’s (O.M.F.S’s) use Botox for?
O.M.F.S’s use Botox for a wide variety of functional/physical treatments in the head and neck region. O.M.F.S’s also use Botox for the much more popularized and publicly well known esthetic procedures for facial, head & neck dynamic wrinkling and skin smoothing.
Will it work for me?
Botox administered by our Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon may be helpful to you if you have one or more of the following:
A] Ailments
Headaches
Tension Headaches
Stress Related Headaches
Morning Headaches
Temple Headaches
Forehead Headaches
Headaches behind the Eyes
Facial Pain
Sore Jaw Muscles
Myofacial Pain
Dysfunction
Facial Fibromyalgia
Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction
Jaw Joint Pain
Lower Jaw Locking Open
Clenching your Teeth
Grinding your teeth
Aching Teeth
High Wear of Your Teeth
Frequent Cracking/Breaking of Teeth/Fillings
B] Cosmetic Concerns
Excessively Large Facial Muscles
Excessive Facial Wrinkles
Unwanted Facial Wrinkles
Heightened Wrinkles during Facial Expressions
Heightened Wrinkles when Smiling
Unsightly Forehead Wrinkles
Excessive “Crows Feet”
Wrinkles surrounding the Eyes
Wrinkles when Squinting
Wrinkles between the Eyebrows
Lower Eyelid Wrinkles
Wrinkling over the Nose
Wrinkling on the sides of Jaws
Wrinkling of the Upper Lip
Lipstick Lines on the Lip
Skin
Wrinkled Chin
Wrinkling below the Chin
Wrinkling on the sides of the Neck
Who can have Botox?
Any patient 12 years or older can have Botox treatment.
Patients with allergies to Albumen cannot have Botox treatment.
Pregnant/nursing women should not be treated with Botox.
Botox treatment is often inadvisable if you have;
1) A.L.S.(Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)/Lou Gehrig’s Disease,
2) Myasthenia Gravis
3) L.E.S.(Lambert-Eaton Syndrome)
4) any disease which weakens muscles.
If you are taking;
1)Magnesium Citrate (magcit), Quinidine (quinidine gluconate, quinidine sulphate, quinidex, quinidex extentabs)
2) Aminoglycoside Antibiotics (amikacin, amikin, gentamycin, garamycin, humatin, kanamycin, kantrex, neo-fradin, netromycin, paromycin, neomycin, netilmicin, streptomycin, tobi, tobramycin, spectinomycin, trobicin)
3)Heart Medications (for palpitations, irregular beats, arrhythmia’s), you may have to stop them for a short while, change to a different medication or wait until you don’t use the medication anymore.
How long does it last?
The effects take 3-10 days to begin and last 3 to 4 months. You cannot use it more often than that or immunity to its effects can develop. Initially the results are transient. With repeated treatments the effects gradually become more permanent.
What are the side effects?
Bruising occurs rarely. If you had treatment around the eyes; drooping eyelids, dry eyes or inability to close your eye lids occurs rarely. Those conditions are treatable.
What is it like to have treatment?
During your consultation, a physical exam will be done, measurements and photographs may be taken, a stethoscope may be used, and readings from monitors will be recorded. Your skin will be cleansed prior to treatment. Sometimes washable skin markings are made and ice is applied to the face. Botox injections are quick and often cause no discomfort at all. Patients often choose to be sedated for their appointment if they desire to be completely unaware of the treatment.
What does it cost?
Anywhere from 40 to 60% of the cost of treatment goes directly to buying the medication from Allergan which has a monopoly on production of Botox. People with many wrinkles, big muscles or more severe problems will need more volume of Botox to be treated effectively. Cost also depends on how much of your face or how many problems you wish to treat. The only way to get an accurate estimate is to have a consultation with our Surgeon.
Will treatment be covered by Heath Insurance?
If you are having treatment for cosmetic reasons, you will have no coverage. All other non-cosmetic treatments may have coverage through either medical insurance and/or dental insurance.
How do I get started?
Ask the reception desk personnel to book a consultation with Dr. Bartling. If you decide to have treatment for cosmetic reasons, the cost of the initial consultation will be credited towards your treatment, making the consultation free.
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