There is now a definite place in the dental practice for both Botox and dermal filler therapy.
Dentists are joining other health care practitioners who deliver these services. In fact dentists are the primary health care practitioners who would be best at delivering these procedures to the facial area in patients.
Expertise, safety and convenience can be achieved by combining cosmetic dentistry with enhancing surrounding tissues, all in one location, and at one appointment (see, it is about time, really!)
People often challenge that these procedures are best left to physicians, though nowadays registered nurses or physicians’ assistants are performing cosmetic treatments, from chemical and laser microdermabrasion, sclerotherapy (treatment of veins), to mesotherapy (injections as a form of fat reduction). Some registered nurses or “injection nurses” also deliver Botox and dermal fillers. Most would not have had the advanced tertiary training in facial anatomy and physiology, or understand pharmacology of the products and adverse affects.
But Dentists?
Dentists are advanced in their training in the oral and maxillofacial areas (that means the face from chin to forehead) than just about any other healthcare professional that is now allowed to deliver Botox and dermal fillers to patients. The dental operatory is a perfect (and convenient) setting for precise and safe delivery of Botox and fillers, and is equipped to handle complications should any arise.
Every dentist that has been trained in Botox and dermal fillers completely understands why they should be performing these procedures. Dental professionals already understand the physiology, skeletal structures, vascular and nervous system of the face, as well as overall facial balance and aesthetics.
There are not many healthcare professionals that know, or are concerned about, the proper ratios of lips to teeth as a dentist. Or study the smile considerations when patients go into a partial or a full smile, the “smile zone”, and how the teeth relate to the soft tissue surrounding the mouth.
Dentists are also much more familiar with how to handle complications in these facial areas than most other healthcare providers. Dentists do many more invasive procedures in the facial areas than all general physicians. The facial, peri-oral, and oral areas are what they work on every single day!
Botox and dermal fillers may seem foreign to our dental mindset. When teeth-whitening was first introduced into the dental market, many dentists called it malpractice! Dentistry today is about building confidence as well as a great smile. A smile is not just only about teeth.
It is time to really start seeing how Botox and dermal fillers in dentistry can help us.