Contact & consultation

Arranging an assessment

Outpatient appointments are booked through the hospital on the numbers below; international patients can ask for Michael Yu. Bring a note of when you first noticed the width and whether it has changed since, whether you clench by day or grind in sleep and whether anyone has told you so, whether a dentist has mentioned wear on the back teeth, whether the two sides of your face have always differed, whether your weight has changed recently, and any previous treatment to the jaw. Each of those changes the plan rather than the conversation around it.

What the consultation should establish

Whether the masseter is contributing to the width, and how much of it the muscle explains rather than the bone or the fat. How the two sides compare at rest and under clench. Whether the habit is daytime, nocturnal or both, because that shapes what is offered alongside. And what you are expecting the treatment to do, because a patient expecting a change in profile or a result that holds needs a different conversation rather than a different dose.

The questions worth asking

Is the muscle actually part of what makes my face look wide, and how much of the width does it explain? Would you treat both sides or one? How long before anything is visible, and when would you review it? What should I expect my chewing to feel like, and what would you do if my smile changed? How many visits a year does this turn into if I continue? And what happens if I stop? A clinic that answers the last question honestly is one worth continuing with.

Before you commit

Nothing needs to be decided at the first appointment, and a treatment that reverses loses nothing by being considered for a month. Take the plan away, read it against the guides on this site, and come back with questions. Pressure to treat on the day, or a plan that assumes you are continuing indefinitely without saying so, is information about the clinic rather than about your jaw.