Maryam Osman Received 12 Botox Vials for TMJ Pain as NHS Access Gaps Push Private Care
Updated
Updated · The Independent · Jul 4
Maryam Osman Received 12 Botox Vials for TMJ Pain as NHS Access Gaps Push Private Care
1 articles · Updated · The Independent · Jul 4
Summary
At 24, Surrey resident Maryam Osman had 12 vials of Botox injected into her face after two years of chronic TMJ pain left her with swelling, headaches and a shattered mouthguard.
Botox is increasingly used as a muscle relaxant for severe temporomandibular joint disorder, which can be triggered by stress-related clenching or grinding and causes jaw, facial and head pain.
London patient Sofia Stidham, 22, said private scans finally identified stage 4 TMJ after two dentists found nothing wrong; she also called Botox treatment life-changing.
Up to 6.7 million people in the UK are affected, women are twice as likely to report symptoms, and one London surgeon said he now sees about 80 female TMJ patients a month.
TNA UK said poor awareness and hard-to-access NHS treatment leave patients isolated and delayed in care; 34% of surveyed people with TMJ or related facial pain said they had thought about suicide.