Botox to Masseter for TMJ and Jaw Slimming - Chicago, IL

I found Dr. Pak through RealSelf. I had been looking for a doctor in my hometown who did the Botox injection into the masseter (jaw muscles) to help stop grinding and clenching in my sleep. This is an off-label but common use of Botox, especially in the Asian community. Unfortunately I was unable to find any dentist or plastic surgeon in my city who does this injection, so I drove to Chicagoland area. Dr. Pak is Korean and has lots of experience with this injection for slimming the jaw. He told me he performs it on his wife frequently and has a lot of patients who do it as well. Essentially the botox weakens the masseter muscles and should help prevent the chomping, grinding, and clenching. By weakening the muscles, they also atrophy over time, resulting in a slimmer jaw. I also got fitted for a night guard and am hoping that the weaker muscles and inability to chomp will help prevent any further damage to my teeth. I got x-rays at my dentist's office and they said my roots are blunted due to this chomping and clenching. The only thing is that Dr. Pak charges 16.01/unit, and with 25 units injected per side, it was 800. Where I live Botox is about 12/unit, so if I found an injectionist near me, it would have cost 600.