Dental News - Botox, fillers can maximize cosmetic outcomes

Dental Tribune USA

Wed. 28 December 2011

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, USA: For many dental implant patients, restoring facial volume can be as critical as the dental restoration for optimizing cosmetic outcomes. In a workshop at the American Academy of Implant Dentistry Annual Scientific Meeting, Pankaj Singh, DDS, urged attendees to pay close attention to facial structures and consider using Botox and dermal filler agents for patients who need facial volume restorations.

“Besides creating beautiful smiles, we like to create harmony between the dento-facial complex by addressing the deep lines and wrinkles in the face that can prevent our patients from looking their best,” Singh said. “Soft tissues that ring the mouth are as important as perfectly restored teeth for an attractive and confident smile.”

Botox is a natural and purified protein that relaxes facial muscles by blocking nerve impulses. Once the muscles are at rest, the skin becomes smoother, creating a more natural and relaxed appearance. The effects last about three to four months and patients feel little, if any, discomfort after the procedure.

For older dental implant patients with facial aging, the corners of the mouth begin to turn down and wrinkles appear around the lips. “Botox can be used by dentists to relax affected muscles to raise mouth corners and smooth wrinkles to assure successful and satisfying outcomes,” Singh said.

Dermal filler agents, such as Restylane, treat fat and collagen volume loss due to the aging process that causes static lines to develop.

“As we age, our body’s production of hyaluronic acid (HA), the body’s natural filler, decreases, which causes facial lines to appear,” Singh explained.

He added that it takes about two weeks for dermal filler agents to show results, and some patients experience side effects, such as localized pain, infection, bleeding, swelling, redness, bruising and tenderness in and near the injection site. Results are not permanent and injections will need to be repeated periodically to maintain the cosmetic improvement.

An estimated 8 percent of dentists in North America now provide Botox and dermal filer cosmetic treatments for patients, and the number is growing as state dental boards lobby to allow dentists to use the agents for cosmetic dentistry.

“Facial volume restoration is the future for achieving optimal esthetic outcomes in the delivery of cosmetic and restorative dental care,” Singh said. “Dentists have as much training and knowledge in the oral and maxillofacial area as dermatologists and other providers, so they, with proper training, can be as proficient in administering these agents.”

(Source: AAID)

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