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Botox and dermal fillers: the ‘next big thing’ in dentistry |
Esthetic dentistry has been an absolute boom over the last 30 years when it comes to such innovative techniques as teeth whitening and minimally invasive veneers, such as Aurum Ceramics Cristal Veneers and many others. Once the teeth look good, what about the peri-oral areas around the mouth? If the teeth look good but we ignore the rest of the face, then we have really limited what we have done in esthetic dentistry. It is time to give serious consideration to extending the oral-systemic connection to the esthetic realms of the face, which dentists are more familiar with than any other health-care practitioner.
Botox is used for smoothing facial wrinkles by eliminating dynamic
wrinkles caused by muscles in motion. Dermal fillers are commonly used
to add volume to the face in the nasolabial folds, lip augmentations,
oral commissures and marionette lines. As we age, collagen is lost in
these facial areas and these lines start to deepen. These dermal
fillers are injected right under the skin to plump up these areas so
that these lines are much less noticeable. The face looks more youthful
and esthetic, and Botox and dermal fillers are the perfect complement
to any esthetic dentistry.
I have been trained and have had experience with Botox and dermal
fillers for a while, and these are very easy procedures to accomplish
once dentists have been properly trained. As dentists, we give
injections all the time. This is just learning how to give another kind
of injection that is outside the mouth, but is in the same area of the
face that we inject all the time. We also have a distinct advantage
over dermatologists, plastic surgeons, medical estheticians and nurses
who commonly provide these procedures in that we can deliver profound
anesthesia in these areas before accomplishing these filler procedures.
I will never forget that during my training, my patients were
completely comfortable during dermal filler and lip augmentation
therapy because of my ability to deliver proper anesthesia to these
areas. The patients treated by other health practitioners were quite
uncomfortable and indeed this is one of the biggest patient complaints
about dermal fillers. Many state boards are allowing general dentists
to provide botulinum toxin and dermal fillers to patients. Is there a
market for these services? In 2008, close to $5 billion was spent on
botulinum toxin and dermal filler therapy in the United States. Think
about this — that was money spent on non-surgical elective esthetic
procedures that could have been spent on esthetic dentistry, and the
patient made a choice. Interestingly, these procedures become more
popular in an uncertain economy because patients want to do something
to look better that is more affordable than surgical esthetic options.
Like anything else you do, this requires some training and the learning
curve is incredibly short because you already know how to give
comfortable injections and are familiar with facial anatomy. I often
give training sessions in botulinum toxin and dermal fillers and
dentists are amazed how easy these procedures are compared to
everything else we do. Finding practice models is easy: start asking
family and friends, who will fight to have you practice on them. If you
want further proof, ask women in your practice if they have had or
would like Botox and dermal filler therapy. You will be overwhelmed at
the positive response.
What’s the next big thing in dentistry? It may come as we start
expanding beyond the teeth and gums into the oral and maxillofacial
areas, which is within every dentist’s skill set. All you need is
knowledge and practice. Then, you will be able to deliver these new
services to your patients and truly complement your esthetic dental
practice.
by Dr Louis Malcmacher, USA
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