Am I a good candidate for botox? I have bad TMJ and painful migraines. (photos)

Headaches are typically not from one cause. You should keep a headache journal to see if you can identify triggers. In terms of your TMJ, it is very common to have migraines along with jaw pain. If you have tried lifestyle modification, medication, and trigger removal, botox may be a great option for you. More commonly now, I am moving right to botox for combined TMJ/migraine disorders. Discuss it with your doctor and try isolating your triggers for both jaw pain and headaches.

Botox has been shown to be effective for TMJ and Migraines. Depending on your insurance plan and the frequency of your migraines there is a possibility insurance would cover the treatment. The ultimate goal would be to get you off the ambien and control your TMJ pain. I would recommend starting with one treatment, which would require 150 - 200 units of botox for the migraines and 10-15 units on each side for the TMJ. It will start working in 7-10 days. Then I would recommend keeping a three month log of the amount of TMJ pain and the frequency of migraines. This will help your plastic surgeon adjust your dosage. Good luck!

Thank you for the question about Botox treatments.  I have had many successful patients who respond to therapy for both of the conditions you describe, although not everyone qualifies based on your insurance and symptoms.  Be sure to see someone with extensive experience in the use of Botox for therapeutic purposes.

Hello and thank you for your questions.  Chronic suffering from TMJ and migraines can be very frustrating.  We offer therapeutic botox treatment to manage both TMJ and migraines.  Our patients typically do not require pain management or a sleep aid once the underlying problem has been addressed with the botox treatment.  If lack of sleep continues to be an issue post treatment, I would recommend a more natural sleep aid like magnesium glycinate.  Assure you consult with a board certified provider who is comfortable in treating TMJ and migraines for proper placement of your botox.  I hope this information helps and best of luck to you!
Migraines might be triggered more easily because of poor sleep, however lack of sleep will not cause your migraine headaches. Migraines are treated with 150 to 200 units of botox every 3 months. Give yourself a trial of 3 treatments, 3 months apart. Push the dose higher and/or more frequent if you only get a partial response. You should be able to get off your ambien and any other medications you need for pain management. 95% of my patients have found significant improvement in their condition.  I am delighted when many patients report a life changing experience. The botox treatments are safe and effective. Be careful of  weakness of the frontalis muscle and dropping of the brow. I recommend avoiding the mid forehead completely and injecting higher in the scalp line.

Thank you for your question! Botox can help you with your migraine and TMJ pain. Botox inhibits chemicals from affecting nerve endings, making migraines less severe. Botox injections are added around the head and neck to dull headaches.

Botox has been shown to be an effective treatment to relieve the discomfort associated with TMJ and migraines. The treatment is done in the office with no down time. See an experienced injector for treatment. I've included a video on how neuromodulators like Botox work that I hope you find helpful.

Hi and thank you for your question. Botox is often a great adjunctive treatment for headaches and/or migraines. It’s important to evaluate the bite and the muscles to have the proper information. Please be sure to seek a qualified professional for any dental treatment. Thank you and best of luck!

Botox can absolutely help your TMJ and migraines.  It may be that your headaches are related to your TMJ dysfunction.  Your head is tilted so it is a little difficult to see your right cheek well but your left jaw seems overdeveloped and I suspect you grind and clench your teeth.  This is associated with bulking up the muscles used in chewing on the side of the face and above and in front of the ear. Neck pain is also common. If you apply deep pressure to these muscles and it causes pain you may be a great candidate for Botox treatment strategically injected in to these muscles to restore a less square face and eliminate your pain. Seek an injector experienced in treating TMJ.  It may require some research on your part because most dentists, oral surgeons, and cosmetic injectors do not have this experience.  Nevertheless, we have had great success with patients with this painful and frustrating problem so take the time to seek one out.

Thank you for your question. It sounds as if Botox may be an extremely helpful treatment to reduce or eliminate your migraine pain. To ensure the best possible results, be certain to go to a doctor who is certified and experienced in using Botox to treat migraines. As far as your TMJ, that is something that a board certified ENT surgeon can address, providing you with options to help alleviate your TMJ pain. Good luck!

Hello SCastle,
I am sorry to hear you are in such pain. Therapeutic Botox treatment is a treatment rather than pain management for TMJ and migraines. Following treatment, pain is greatly reduced or no longer exists; pain management in most cases will no longer be required. 
TMJ is very common, with up to 1 in 3 people having some degree of TMJ dysfunction. I can see in your photo that you have enlarged jaw muscles. These can be treated with 15 to 30 units of Botox per side every 3-6 months.
Migraines might be triggered more easily because of poor sleep; however, lack of sleep will not cause your migraine headaches. Migraines are treated with 150 to 200 units of Botox every 3 months. I recommend giving yourself a trial of 3 treatments, 3 months apart. Push the dose higher and/or more frequently if you only get a partial response. You should be able to get off your Ambien and any other medications you need for pain management. 95% of my patients have found significant improvement in their condition after using Botox Therapeutic, and the treatments are not only effective, but also safe. I am truly delighted when many patients report a life-changing experience.
One thing to be careful of is weakness of the frontalis muscle and dropping of the brow; I recommend avoiding the mid-forehead completely and injecting higher in the scalp line.
Good luck; I would love to hear how you do. Please share with RealSelf how you make out!