{"id":583,"date":"2015-11-21T16:51:04","date_gmt":"2015-11-22T00:51:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dentox.com\/botox-edu-news\/?p=583"},"modified":"2015-11-07T16:56:22","modified_gmt":"2015-11-08T00:56:22","slug":"how-can-botox-benefit-your-dental-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dentox.com\/botox-edu-news\/how-can-botox-benefit-your-dental-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"How Can Botox Benefit Your Dental Practice?"},"content":{"rendered":"
To say that Botox has really taken off in the 21 years or since since it was introduced would be a vast understatement.\u00a0 Botox is currently the most popular cosmetic procedure in North America with well over 2 million procedures performed in 2008, according to estimates from the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.\u00a0 That equates to 24% of all cosmetic procedures done that year, and 92% of them were done on women.\u00a0 Botox has a safety record that beats nearly every other medication available.<\/p>\n
Botox is the brand name of botulinum toxin.\u00a0 After it is injected into facial muscles, it attaches to the nerve endings, blocking nerve signals to the muscles, paralyzing them but not blocking sensation.\u00a0 It is the movement of these muscles that causes wrinkles in the first place, so when they cannot move, they cannot cause wrinkles.\u00a0 These effects last 3-4 months, depending on a variety of factors.\u00a0 The temporary nature of Botox is the reason it has such a great safety record.<\/p>\n
The most common esthetic uses of Botox are smoothing the fine lines in the forehead and between and around the corners of the eyes.\u00a0 As more and more dentists begin offering Botox, other, more therapeutic uses are being found.\u00a0 Many dentists are unaware that Botox can be used to treat TMJ, bruxism, and other types of facial pain caused by muscle spasm.<\/p>\n
Botox is frequently used alongside dermal fillers as a nonsurgical method of treating high lip line cases.\u00a0 Traditional treatment involves periodontal flap surgery that includes substantial osseous reduction.\u00a0 This procedure would be followed by procedures to establish dental esthetics to complement the surgery.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t take a dentist to realize that is far more invasive and aggressive treatment than most people want to undergo.\u00a0 Alternatively, a bit of Botox to weaken the muscles around the lip and dermal fillers to augment the lips can achieve much the same result with far less expense and recovery time.\u00a0 Of course, this should be done carefully so as to maintain normal function of the lips.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not to say that the more aggressive option doesn\u2019t have its advantages.\u00a0 After the treatment is complete, the results are permanent, while Botox and dermal fillers must be repeated a couple of times a year.\u00a0 However, the results are immediate and recovery time is minimal.\u00a0 As a dentist, it doesn\u2019t make a whole lot of difference which route the patient chooses, but it does provide more treatment options.<\/p>\n
This is just one scenario that shows the role Botox and dermal fillers can play in esthetic dentistry.\u00a0 Color and position of teeth are no more important to a beautiful smile than the soft tissue around the mouth.\u00a0 As a dentist it is easy to become so focused on the teeth that one can forget that other areas are just as important.<\/p>\n
Botox can also play an important role in orthodontics.\u00a0 In some patients, a strong mentalis muscle can cause teeth to slip back to their pre-therapy positions.\u00a0 Botox can weaken these muscles so they can be retrained to follow more normal movement.<\/p>\n
Botox can also be helpful for patients getting used to dentures.\u00a0 Even perfectly fitting dentures can be difficult for patients with strong muscle contractions.<\/p>\n
There is some confusion regarding whether Botox fits in the scope of dental practice and it\u2019s important to realize that dentists, because they work almost exclusively in the oral and maxillofacial areas, are at least as skilled as any other healthcare professional that doesn\u2019t spend near as much time working on this area.\u00a0 Currently, every state allows dentists to offer Botox for therapeutic purposes, and about half of states allow dentists to use it for cosmetic purposes.<\/p>\n
Some dentists have concerns that these products should only be used by doctors.\u00a0 However, I would point out that dentists inject local anesthetic frequently.\u00a0 Local anesthetics have much greater potential for complications and reactions than Botox or dermal fillers.\u00a0 After training, you can be just as comfortable injecting Botox as you are injecting local anesthetic.<\/p>\n
Another common misconception is that learning to administer Botox takes months of training.\u00a0 Quite the contrary, most professionals learn to administer Botox and dermal fillers in a one or two day course.\u00a0 These courses include a hands on component that is absolutely critical to becoming proficient in these procedures and learning to combine them with dental treatment plans.<\/p>\n
Isn\u2019t it time to expand your practice to use all of the tools available?\u00a0 Botox and dermal fillers are minimally invasive tools that can provide additional options to your patients.\u00a0 The procedures can be performed in just a few minutes while your patient is already in the office for their regular checkups.\u00a0 Patients love being able to get the procedures done by someone they trust and with whom they have developed a relationship.\u00a0 It just makes sense.<\/p>\n
Dr. Katz is the President and founder of Dentox, a premier teaching facility for dental Botox and dermal fillers and has co-invented most indications for dental uses of Botox.\u00a0 Dr. Katz has injected and supervised injections on more patients than any other educator in this field.\u00a0 It is with this extensive experience that he has created protocols for dental esthetics of dermal fillers for many US cosmeceutical companies.<\/p>\n
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To say that Botox has really taken off in the 21 years or since since it was introduced would be a vast understatement.\u00a0 Botox is currently the most popular cosmetic procedure in North America with well over 2 million procedures performed in 2008, according to estimates from the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.\u00a0 That equates to 24% of all cosmetic procedures done that year, and 92% of them were done on women.\u00a0 Botox has a safety record that beats nearly every other medication available.<\/p>\n