Australasian Dentist Issue 93

CATEGORY 80 AUSTRALASIAN DENTIST been caused by people rushing straight to putting the pretty bit on top, without setting the appropriate groundwork as outlined previously. In implant terms, it would be like placing the crown without a solid fixture and hoping for the best. With lip enhancement, the pretty bit on top is dermal filler and it should always be the last step, not the default treatment. Dermal Filler is being used less and less as practitioners have come to realize its limitations and potential serious complications. These days, when dermal filler isutilized, it is tofinesseanoutstanding result and it is done so through minimal, strategic placement for character, it is not about adding excessive volume, as volume is rarely what people require to enhance their lips. Most people don’t require bigger lips they require structure, definition, contour and character points that create areas of light, shadow and complexity. When used in this way, dermal filler can be the icing on the cake, but because of the real risk of vascular complications, modern filler placement should now only ever be performed under ultrasound guidance. While practitioners would never dream of blindly placing implants into complex anatomy without the aid of imaging; running the risk of not only a poor result but serious complication if inadvertently encroaching on adjacent nervous or vascular structures; those placing dermal filler, until now, simply had no other option. Flying blind made things difficult for those practitioners trying to learn dermal filler techniques and meant that, even when they did everything right, sometimes complications arose. While some people claimed they were providing safer injections using cannula, nothing is ever as safe as being able to directly visualise your field of operation. With AADFA’s introduction of hand- held wireless ultrasound technology for the placement of dermal filler and other dento- facial rejuvenation procedures, this now represents the new standard for safety and efficacy, allowing dentists to more simply and confidently utilise dermal filler in their practice. There is no denying that a lip enhance­ ment can transform the lives of our patients and that dentists are not only able to perform these treatments but are among the very best practitioners tobe doing so. Yet to do so safely, responsibly and effectively, practitioners need to understand all of the different considerations and steps involved, equipped with all of the potential treatment options, rather than just blindly following fad techniques and out of date approaches. To learn more about a safe and comprehensive approach to lip enhancement, contact the team at AADFA: admin@AADFA.net LINICAL Fig.4: When using dermal filler for lip enhancement, ultrasound guidance is now the clinical standard for safety and efficacy.