The PSL Dentist Podcast

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

• Dr. Stephen Blank • Episode 3

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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

SPEAKER_00:

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 dentist who's been making the treasure coast smile for decades. From one-visted crowns to clear aligners, Botox, and even lifting threads, yep, your dentist does that too. So sit back, open wide, not literally pleased. And get ready to sink your teeth into today's episode.

SPEAKER_02:

It's not just for wrinkles. Botox might be the relief your head has been waiting for. Welcome back everyone. Frederick here, co-host and producer 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 you again. All is well here. Perfect. That's awesome to hear. So let's just get into it, Dr. Blank. Um, can you tell us, uh, can Botox really help with chronic headaches?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes. Oh, I have more to say. But that's the answer in a nutshell. Uh many patients suffer from headaches and they have no idea what to do about that. They take medications and all sorts of other things, and they just don't get relief. So when they come to see me with a headache problem, it's really good to know that we can offer something that actually helps many, many patients.

SPEAKER_02:

If you don't mind, can you explain what is the science behind Botox as a treatment for headaches?

SPEAKER_01:

Great question to ask. Botox is a medication that's been derived from the botulinium bacteria. They've just, you know, they know that botulism can hurt you, and they figured out how that works. And we don't use the bacteria. We use that uh medication that they uh express, and that's manufactured in a laboratory and it's clean and sterile. So there's no chance of getting a bacteria. This is goes into a syringe and it's injected in the area where the nerves and the muscles connect. So it's kind of like getting an anesthesia where we numb up a patient, but this doesn't numb up the nerves. It goes between the nerve and the the particular muscle that we're trying to treat, and it stops the message from going through, but not completely. So you don't feel numb. You just don't have your muscle as strong. So patients that get headaches up in the temple area here. If we place Botox into those areas, those muscles soften. They still work, you can, and that muscle comes down and opens and closes the jaw. A lot of people don't connect this muscle with their jaw, but they're connected with the tendon. And that's what pulls the mouth closed. If that muscle is in spasm, you get headaches there. And sometimes that can be the precursor to migraine headaches. So when we can control that muscle and make it less active, headaches go away. The other one we see is patients that clench and grind, the big muscle here that comes down is called the masseter. That muscle, when it's tight, can get facial pain in the cheekbone. And when we administer Botox in that area, that muscle softens up. And sometimes patients with a big square jaw will see their face taper back down to a normal size over a period of months or even a year because their muscles are not being exercised. They were like Olympic athletes of jaw clenching, and that's not a good thing. So when we can control that muscle, especially habitual clenchers, the ones that do it and don't even know they're doing that, um, we can help really soften their bite and reduce headaches a tremendous amount.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow, that is incredible. Uh, so how do you determine if a patient is a good candidate for this?

SPEAKER_01:

That's a great question. That comes down to a really good health history with the patient, finding out about their symptoms and uh and when things started, all sorts of good questions that can probe into uh which areas are a concern. And then there's the clinical exam. We literally palpate or feel the muscles in the temple area, on the face. We do a jaw exam and check the joint on both sides, uh, and we put all that information together to determine would Botox help this person, uh, or is there some other pathway we need to be on?

SPEAKER_02:

You mentioned that you inject it between the tendon and the muscle, um, but is there a more specific between the nerve and the muscle. Between the nerve and the muscle. Okay, so that's where the Botox is typically injected for head relief. And and where is that nerve and muscle located? Great.

SPEAKER_01:

We don't actually have to hit the exact nerve. We've we feel the muscle, and literally I hold the patients like this and have them bite, and I can feel where those areas are, and then I take my hand off and I mark one, two, three, wherever those areas are, and we inject in there, and that soaks in. Botox doesn't work like uh like Novocaine, it takes time to soak through the tissue. Typically, patients don't feel any change for one or two days, and by the third day, they're starting to see a pretty good effect with maximum effect at two weeks. And then uh that effect stays with them for about three months, and then the effect starts to fade away and the muscle returns to its original state, but it's a smaller muscle at that point, it's not as strong. It's like not exercising for three months, and that's the result that we want to achieve.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, so about two weeks to full to see the results, that's the longest it could take, is two weeks. And then uh did you say the results last for six uh three months?

SPEAKER_01:

About three months, yes. Now at the two-week mark, since if it's a new patient, we don't know how much to inject, we have standards that we go by. And then we can reassess. Some people might need a little extra. So that's when we make those decisions at the two-week mark. And then we also chart that uh with a facial picture where we mark how much we gave where. So when they come back for a future 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 the future.

SPEAKER_02:

And are there any side effects or risks that patients should be aware of?

SPEAKER_01:

Possible allergy, but I haven't dealt with that ever. The other one is understanding anatomical landmarks on the face. The face has lots of nerves coming out. So we don't want to anesthetise in an area that's gonna make somebody have a muscle not work that you want working. If we get too close to the eyebrow, we can get an eyebrow droop. So when we treat foreheads or even 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 a while. And uh so we just don't do that. It's important to know your anatomy, to check each individual patient carefully, and then I mark every patient literally on their face with a little marker. So when we go to give injections, it's not just a guessing game. We've already done all of our homework.

SPEAKER_02:

Wow, that's really detailed. Uh so how does this type of treatment compare to, say, traditional headache medications?

SPEAKER_01:

Well, not just medications, but in a dental office, we often make patients bite guard appliances to control headaches. And the concern or, well, the the challenge is not everybody is willing to wear an appliance. That's one thing. So if they just say, I'm not wearing that thing, then Botox is an option for them. Some patients have bite appliances, and that helps protect their teeth from breaking, from excess clenching or grinding. Um, but they may not stop grinding. Many do, but some will not. So sometimes we give them a bike guard appliance to protect them from their own muscles, and then we also treat the muscles.

SPEAKER_02:

Thanks so much for uh explaining all that to us, and we really appreciate the insight. And for all our viewers at home, that brings us to time. So we'll catch you on the next one with uh Dr. Blank on the PSL Dentist Podcast. Thanks for joining us.

SPEAKER_00:

That's a wrap for the PSL Dentist Podcast, where smiles are brighter and laughs are always cavity-free. To keep your smile in shape, call 772-878-7348 or visit psldentist.com to schedule your appointment with Dr. Stephen Blank, the one stop doc for smiles, beauty, and everything in between. Until next time, keep flossing, keep smiling, and keep listening.