Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is the only thing standing in the way of dentists being able to provide cosmetic Botox injections in Arizona. Legislation to allow the change has already passed the state’s House and Senate.
The House voted 55-0 on March 10 to allow dentists to give cosmetic Botox and dermal filler injections. Previously, the Senate had approved the bill on a vote of 25-2.
In the state, dentists are already authorized to provide Botox for therapeutic reasons, including for the treatment of TMD, a jaw disorder that is caused partly by uneven muscular contractions. Dentists cannot provide injectable treatments for aesthetic reasons, however.
For many dentists, the prohibition that has existed in the state for years doesn’t make sense, especially since many states allow dentists to administer cosmetic Botox.
No one knows more about facial muscles and nerves, they argue, than dental professionals who have made a career of working on the head and neck. All dentists have advanced training in injections on the same parts of the body where Botox and dermal filler injections are usually done. Some are also already certified in cosmetic Botox but disallowed by law from using their training.
Dentist groups point out that their members are often more qualified to do injections than those who lead Botox parties or med spas. In many cases, med spas are supervised by medical directors who may not even be on-site when injections are administered by nurses and others to patients. Dentists, on the other hand, do thousands of injections in and around the mouth during their careers.
Additionally, allowing dentists to administer Botox can help them recover from pandemic losses. Some practices report losing 20 percent of their business since the pandemic.
Dentists and other medical professionals seeking Botox and dermal filler training can find concise in-person training around the nation plus on demand and live online training from Dentox and America’s leading injectables instructor, Dr. Howard Katz. Reach out to lean more.
