Dentists Performing Botox Injections

By Erin O'breen


Botox injections are administered by trained personnel in cosmetic surgery to improve one's appearance, be it for personal reasons or for medical reasons. Performing Botox injections should be done by a doctor in most cases, as the standards that are required to deliver these injections are very strictly enforced. Other qualified medical staff are also able to deliver the injections as well, if a certified doctor is present, a nurse can administer the treatment, for example.

The question of whether dentists are qualified for the prescription and administration of botox treatments has been brought up lately. Many considerations are made while determining the qualifications, and part of that are the laws of the state where it is administered.

Let's take a look at this a bit further.

What are the issues?

The proper training must be taken, as dentists who deliver botox are bound by the same guidelines as other medical personnel. For these treatments to be administered, it takes someone who knows precisely how the body works, who has had significant medical training, it's not a difficult procedure, but it takes professional skill. Side effects can occur and the treating professional needs to be aware of them and capable of handling them.

Basically, when the necessary training is completed a dentist should be approved for botox injection treatments and of course, prescribing the treatments. .

Dentists and botox injections

Most states in the United States now allow dentists to administer botox injections. Botox injection procedure is not the same as cosmetic injections of other kinds. To illustrate this, botox can be injected for the treatment of myofascial conditions and is covered by a dental plan as allowed by the Dental Board of California. It is not however legal for a dentist to use botox to treat cosmetic issues. Doing so requires a privilege under the Facial Cosmetic Surgery Permit. Botox injection procedures in Georgia require that facial anatomy and specific methods be learned in a 21 hour long course that the board has approved.

More recently, the Massachusetts Board of Dentistry approved dentists who have had practical training in cosmetic injection treatments to administer botox and fillers for cosmetic purposes.

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. But overall, it appears that there is a growing trend of approving dentists to now inject botox for cosmetic purposes.

The controversy

Allowing dentists to administer botox to treat cosmetic issues has people debating if this should be approved. This subject has been argued lately with some stating on medical forums that dentists lack the necessary knowledge about facial anatomy, and that only plastic surgeons should perform it. 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. At this time, it looks like it will be years before this debate is finished.

Summary

As more people are in the market for this type of procedure, the medical field is looking for new ways to meet the needs of patients who would like botox injections. Dentists are now getting approved to provide botox treatments with state boards issuing new guidelines constantly.




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