GAP Australasian-Dentist-May June 2019

Category 54 AustrAlAsiAn Dentist D ental Practices spend countless hours espousing the virtues to our patients of avoiding the consumption of carbonated beverages, and rightly so given what we know about these acidic demons and their deleterious effects on dental structures. However, this year, Dental Practitioners in Australia and new Zealand will become among the first in the world to actively offer their patients “carbonation”; of a different sort; one that actually improves their dento-facial health, vitality and aesthetics, by injecting Carbon Dioxide (CO 2 ) gas directly into their skin! Introduction – The Dento-Facial Concept With over 5000 Dental Practitioners across Australia and new Zealand having undergone training to incorporate extra- oral facial therapies into their practice, there is now a general acceptance that skin services fall firmly within the remit of the dental profession. Moreover, it has reached the point where if you’re a Dental Practitioner who fails to examine, consider and treat the skin and other prominent facial structures adjacent to the oral cavity, on each and every patient, you may have a problem, as it would be likely that you are falling behind your colleagues and below the standard of modern day Dentistry, in which the mouth, teeth and jaws are no longer treated in isolation from the skin and the rest of the face. Dental practitioners now lead the broader medical community in delivering the concept of Complete Dento-Facial Health & Aesthetics, understanding that this approach is best achieved by addressing all of the different layers of the face – from teeth to skin. Because the typical pattern of dento-facial ageing and deterioration is the result of dynamic, multi-factorial and cumulative effects of various extrinsic assaults and intrinsic changes over time, there is no single, “magic bullet” approach to restoring health, vitality and aesthetics to the facial region. While most Dental Practitioners would have heard of colleagues offering BOtOX by now, few understand that this is far from the end of the story. there is a necessarily much broader picture and while this treatment remains a crucial step in any dento-facial treatment plan, it is only one small aspect of the overall concept. it is here that many dental practitioners fall flat, having only trained in Botox and Dermal Filler treatments, they are not actually practising the full concept of Complete Dento-Facial rejuvenation but instead have simply moved from focusing just on the mouth, to focusing on the mouth and a very limited number of other structures, resulting in limited clinical success. instead, Dental Practitioners must utilise a variety of proven techniques, applied intra- and extra-orally, that are specifically designed to target each individual layer of the face – different treatments, targeting different structures and different aspects of the ageing/ deterioration process. these techniques; from BOtOX, Dermal Filler and thread lifts, through to micro-needling, laser and fat dissolving injections; are taught through the AADFA pathway of structured learning. Practitioners are able to achieve incredible results when several techniques are combined to form a multi-pronged, comprehensive and holistic dento-facial treatment plan. However, until now, practitioners never really had a simple, effective and low cost approach to improve one of the biggest problems associated with ageing and deteriorating skin, that of a decrease in tissue vascularisation and oxygenation. CO 2 Injections – The “Fizz” Facial One of the most notable features of skin as it ages, loses health/vitality and takes on disease states, is the reduction in the degree, and deterioration in the quality, of the cutaneous capillary network, which Myles Holt “Fizzing” Faces – CO 2 Gas Injection in the Dental Chair Dr Myles Holt, AADFA Director & Head trainer Honorary lecturer. Kings College, london Dento-legal Advisor The best way to understand and achieve the concept of Complete Dento-Facial Aesthetics & Health, is by thinking in terms of addressing each of the different layers of the face. Only a multi-pronged treatment plan, targeting intra- and extra-oral structures, can achieve spectacular, harmonious results. This case benefitted from a combination of Botox, Dermal Filler, Carboxytherapy, Thread Lifts and micro- needling, alongside Teeth Whitening and Clear Aligners. The entire dento-facial complex must be understood, considered and discussed with patients to ensure informed consent and comprehensive care – it can no longer be treated in isolated parts and Dentistry is no longer just about teeth and gums. lInICal