Australasian Dentist Issue 93

CATEGORY AUSTRALASIAN DENTIST 83 LINICAL like Botox, facial thread lifts and fat dissolving injections, is for dentists to engage in comprehensive, recognised, and accredited continuing education programs, run by industry leaders. 2. “You should become a cosmetic injector” Twelve years ago, AADFA developed the concept of “Complete Dento-Facial Health & Aesthetics”, which focused on having dentists stepping comfortably into a broader facial health screening, prevention, and maintenance role. A focus on health first, with aesthetic improvement flowing as a natural consequence of improved health, allowed dentists to successfully offer patients a higher level of care across the dento-facial region, while still being dentists, focusing patients on the right goals – the attainment of better health, rather than overdone cosmetic distortion. This approach revolutionised the broader cosmetic industry, with doctors and nurses now following AADFA’s lead, moving away from the antiquated and dangerous “cosmetic”; “anti-wrinkle”; “youth-restoring”; messaging of the past, which only serves to play on patients’ insecurities. Yet we are now seeing some dentists set to repeat the mistakes of the past by calling themselves “Cosmetic Injectors”, who offer “Cosmetic Injecting”. This is a move solely designed to mislead patients into thinking these individuals possess some specialized qualification or ability when compared to other practitioners. Thankfully, a current review by regulators into this, and broader issues around the use of the term “Cosmetic Surgeon”, is set to crackdown on such unscrupulous behaviour (see: https:// www. ahpra. gov. au/News/Cosmet i c- surgery-independent-review-of-patient- safety.aspx). To achieve success in this field, dentists should play to their strengths of being highly qualified, insured, conservative, ethical professionals, with great infection control standards, focused on improving health outcomes first, whose new dento- facial service offerings happen to have secondary aesthetic benefits, rather than being purely cosmetic focused. 3. “Thread Lifts don’t work; Botox & Dermal Filler are all you need” Anextension to falsely claiming that specific facial procedures may be out of a Dentists’ scope of practice, a common misgiving is that training in Botox and Dermal Filler injections is all that is needed for dentists to successfully move into this sphere. The facial deterioration process with age is a multi-factorial, three- dimensional, constantly evolving process. It spans multiple different tissue types, from underlying skeletal and structural changes; shifting contours and volume loss across various fat compartments; changes in facial muscle activity; as well as a reduction in the quality and integrity of dermal components. With so many changes occurring, in conjunction with the peculiarities of any given individual, there is no single treatment that can fix everything and only a multi-pronged treatment plan will achieve the best clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. Indays of old, practitioners andpatients were limited in the materials and treatment options available for facial rejuvenation, like life for the edentulous prior to the advent of dental implants. This meant that clinical results were always compromised, and complication rates were much higher, when all we had available was Botox and Dermal Filler. Nowadays, Botox and Dermal Filler, while still important aspects of overall facial rejuvenation, are used to a much lesser extent, in favour of safer, more effective, and less costly treatment developments. When a single tool is being applied as a cure-all, problems soon follow. A failure to understand all the available treatment options and the proper sequence of their use; limiting treatment to certain isolated areas of the lower face; and an over- reliance on a limited range of tools, leads to a multitude of problems, from a lack of informed consent, through to inappropriate treatment approaches causing unnecessary clinical complications and poor aesthetic outcomes. Invariably, those who only promote or provide a limited range of treatment options, telling others to avoid various procedures, only do so out of their own inability to understand or successfully deliver said procedures. It has reached a point now where, if a practitioner is only learning, promoting, or delivering Botox and Dermal Filler for facial rejuvenation, they should stop immediately! This also extends to practitioners who say that procedures should only ever be performed in a certain way, such as with a cannula instead of a needle. Such commentary displays a dangerously limited level of comprehension, skill, and experience. Successful Dento-Facial rejuvenation canNEVER just be about learningBotox and Dermal Filler injections. Dentists need to become knowledgeable in the full spectrum of facial rejuvenation, able to appropriately consult patients; diagnose and treatment plan utilizing an array of techniques, ranging from scientifically proven at-home skincare products and sunscreen, through to dissolving fat deposits and performing thread-lifts to address skin laxity. The only way to achieve this is to engage in a comprehensive, accredited pathway of learning, which culminates in a deep understanding of dento-facial health and rejuvenation, including the full array of available treatment options. The easiest way to do that is to align yourself with the pioneers in the industry, who have been there every step of the way and understand what you need to succeed, which, these days, MUST include the very latest in ultrasound guided injecting protocols, such as those developed and taught during the AADFA Fellowship Program. u Contact AADFA to find out more about learning to perform facial rejuvenation the right way: admin@aadfa.net