Would you trust a dentist to do facial procedures?

[cookiesnScream]

I’m just getting really anxious now. I have a neighbour friend whose a dentist but also dabbles in aesthetics (no idea really what that means but I think Botox, fillers etc). His social media page is always full of people saying thank you etc. and he’s fab etc. and praising him for the work he’s done on their face.

I hate looking at pictures of myself so I decided last week to contact him and book a consultation. I’ve transferred a deposit already (£50) and my appointment is next week. Am I being really silly by going? I’ve never had any work done to my face and honestly I don’t even know what I expect hence the consultation. Please tell me am I being silly by going to a dentist or do most dentists now specialise in facial things too?

Thank you everyone! I’m trying to link the thread I found by a poster written in March this year saying she had injectables (I think) from her dentist and it went wrong! Most Posters were attacking her and saying she was stupid to get it done from a dentist! That’s what got me thinking and got me asking this question. I only skimmed it maybe the responses got better but first page was all against dentists

Here it is! One said “Rookie error” going to a dentist that’s what worried me. There are some positives in there also actually but as I said I didn’t read all of them just the negative ones stuck out for me. Here is it incase anyone interested. I’ll have a read myself later in detail when kids asleep:

_https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/ami_being_unreasonable/5020927-to-think-my-dentist-should-not-have-fd-up-my-first-botox

i don’t want to resurrect an old thread but I’m really curious how it turned out for her! Shall I resurrect it?

It needs a prescription yes, but yes administered without supervision by those often with minimal training (I've had mates (I'm a dr) been asked to do private scripts for random practitioners to use and told them not to touch the idea with a barge pole unless involved in their care its way too risky from a litigation pov)

So how do those practitioners who don’t work with a doctor manage to go around the law? I guess that’s what I was really asking. How can Sharon-the-hairdresser run a room in her salon without someone signing off on prescription?

Dentists know their way around the face better than most doctors -unless facial specialists themselves. They understand the nerve pathways, muscle structure and joint movement. It takes 7 years in the UK to become a fully qualified dentist and they are well qualified to undertake Botox etc. - much better than beauty consultants

My dentist does my Botox! He’s brilliant! They have to know about the muscles etc of your face as part of their profession so they do know where to put the product.
He’s a mighty fine dentist, too, I just wish he delivered babies as well! A lovely kind man, who believes that you should never have to “suffer” during any procedure.
i 100% trust him.

I'd rather a trained and registered clinician do it, rather than someone with no qualifications who's done a £500 training course one Saturday afternoon they saw advertised on Facebook

My friend is a dentist and she is now doing this. She is highly trained and went to medical school. I would far rather she does it than my cousin who was an HCA and now has her own business doing injectables.

Dentists should stop doing surgical extractions etc that is the meat and potatoes of their job then , oh and not use the official title dental surgeon!

Private scripts. Some drs, if paid enough, will accept the risks and prescribe for them

They probably split the vials between multiple patients to save their costs (both the drug cost and the cost to the dr) - which isn't allowed but sure it happens

It is quite clear that I was speaking the context of this thread and by “surgical procedures” I meant rhinoplasty and face lifts. No need to be deliberately obtuse, it doesn’t reflect well on you.

The people doing this are most often maxillofacial facial surgeons
who are dentists and most often dual qualified with a medical degree.

Better than a 'beauty therapist' who may or may not have had any training at all. I do find it wrong though that people are crying out for the most basic dentistry, and even when many private dental practices are not accepting new patients, that they pursue this more lucrative option ....

The majority of dentists I know who do this are younger colleagues who are

up to their eyeballs in debt and looking for a much less stressful way of earning money than dentistry

burnt out from the stresses and litigation from dentistry and looking for an easier way to earn a living.

I’ve never done it but Botox, fillers are a far easier way to make a living , although if doing it as a main source of earning a dentist will de skill.

The exception to this is Botox administered to help with bruxing/grinding which is far more skilled and a good treatment modality , along side Botox to lower high lip lines which again is often done alongside other cosmetic dentistry.

Dentistry is in a horrible place in this country , we all know colleagues who have gone bankrupt, committed suicide , burnt out. We all know dentists who are desperate to find an alternative to dentistry .

Dual qualified being the important point, wouldn’t you say? I had a wonderful maxfac surgeon but I wouldn’t be comfortable with him taking my appendix out or doing a breast augmentation. If you are, knock yourself out. I am not sure why you decided to have a go at me. Are you a dentist doing tummy tucks?

I had deep muscle Botox injections in my jaw about 6 months ago for bruxism at my dental practice. I’ve never had any sort of Botox or cosmetic injections before. I trust the dentist to do it, as a highly trained medical professional, far more than I would an aesthetician. It was fine, I didn’t feel it happening (4 injections) and nothing felt different or weird afterwards. And it did stop me clenching my jaw in my sleep and cracking more teeth, so it did what she said it would

My hygienist colleague is qualified to do facial aesthetics
can’t think of better people than dental folks after all we are pretty confident with needles and facial anatomy

it’s the latest thing along with whitening and straightening teeth
it’s called the Zoom effect

Botox is a well known 'cure' for migraine but it doesn't work for everyone. It was available on the NHS, not sure if it still is.

There is prescriber networks that Sharon can sign up to, so I imagine there is a fee to the medical prescriber.and they get their supply, lots of HCP can prescribe not just Drs,

My friend is a beauty therapist and the place she works does fillers and botox and the owner has a woman who prescribes.

Came here to say this pretty much!
Can't imagine there are many people more trained in the nerves and muscles of the face than a dentist!

Very often migraine is associated with clenching and grinding (bruxism). The first line of treatment is to try a bite guard but in some people this acts like a dog chew toy and they grind straight through it.

You can normally tell people who have this problem as they will have very pronounced jaw muscles and often have a squarish look to their face.

Botox is very useful in these cases but has to be done carefully. It’s not available on the NHS in my area but possibly might be elsewhere when all else has failed.

This. There are so many medically unqualified people doing ‘aesthetics,’ the girl I go to is a nurse in hospital, she does Botox as a sideline, and I feel much safer using her.

it's really common. Nurses are doing it too.

I know several nurses who had their health trusts fund them to do nurse prescribing courses and they go on to start businesses doing botox as they can then prescribe it and take courses on how to administer.

I had botox once 4 years ago and hated the results but not because the practitioner did anything wrong. She's a renal nurse who does part-time nursing to maintain her registration but is making much more money from beauty treatments.

100% this!!

I agree with the posters above, dentists are trained well to deal with the face. At the same time, it appears that you have little knowledge or experience of facial treatments and this may also be why you are nervous. I would be too, as I have very little knowledge.

if I were you, I’d go for the consultation and see what they have to say and offer. I’d then do enough homework for me to make a more confident decision.