Botox Treatments by Dentists

By Erin O'breen


Whether wishing to make an improvement in appearance for medical reasons, or because of a personal issue, specially trained medical staff are available to deliver Botox injections for these purposes. Those who are certified to administer Botox are specially trained to do so, as there are strict rules when it comes to who has the qualifications to administer it, and generally a physician is recommended to deliver it. Of course, other trained personnel such as nurses can also inject botox but in the presence of a trained physician.

Recently, there has been some discussion as to whether dentists can prescribe and administer botox injections. There can be a number of factors that play a role in deciding this, including state laws and guidelines.

Below we will discuss some of the specifics.

What concerns are involved?

Well, the issues with dentists injecting botox are the same with any health care professional injecting it - it is all about whether they are trained to do so. While these treatments are not extremely complicated like some procedures such as brain surgery, an elaborate knowledge of the anatomy is essential to deliver the injections safely and effectively. With injections such as these, there are sometimes side effects, and they can only be properly dealt with by a highly trained expert.

Dentists are generally approved to inject and prescribe botox after they have completed the training for this procedure.

Dentists and botox injections

The prescription and administration of botox treatments are allowed by dentists in the majority of the United States. There is a difference between standard injections for cosmetic reasons, and the way botox is administered. A dental plan in the state of California would permit a dentist to treat myofascial conditions with botox, the Dental Board of California certifies this. A dentist can not legally administer botox treatments for conditions that are of the cosmetic variety. The Facial Cosmetic Surgery Permit is the authority who regulates this kind of treatment. Within the state of Georgia, dentists need to take a 21 hour board approved course that details out facial anatomy and the exact techniques of using botox and the available market forms of it.

Dentists who have completed the necessary training involved for cosmetic injection are newly allowed because of approval from the Massachusetts Board of Dentistry in that state.

Since states have their own separate rules on this subject, patients should do their own research into whether their dentist is permitted to administer these treatments. From observable data as of late, it looks like it's moving toward dentists being approved for cosmetic administration of botox treatments.

The arguments in question

Allowing dentists to administer botox to treat cosmetic issues has people debating if this should be approved. There are those who feel that dentists do not have the same level of knowledge of facial anatomy as plastic surgeons have, and talk is happening on medical forums about this topic. The board in the state has some stipulations that agree with this assessment, and say only dentistry related botox treatments should be approved for dentists.

Not surprisingly, if you were to ask a dentist, they would say that they are qualified to deliver botox injections due to their specialized training in maxillofacial and facial anatomy, making them more than qualified. The argument will likely be ongoing over the next several years, until it is resolved.

Synopsis

Botox injections are becoming ever more popular with the demand exceeding the number of personnel able to administer the drug. Dentists are now getting approved to provide botox treatments with state boards issuing new guidelines constantly.




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