Botox injections are administered by trained personnel in cosmetic surgery to improve one's appearance, be it for personal reasons or for medical reasons. There are rather stringent guidelines on who should be allowed to inject botox injection, with the overall suggestion being that a trained doctor should be performing them. 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.

Inquiries have been made as of late about botox injections that are prescribed and delivered by a dentist. State laws are part of what determines the answer to these questions, among other things.

Below we will discuss some of the specifics.

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. Granted botox injections are hardly similar to complex heart surgery, but it is still necessary to understand the intricate details of the human anatomy to produce the desired results. 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 performing botox treatments

The prescription and administration of botox treatments are allowed by dentists in the majority of the United States. Botox injection procedure is not the same as cosmetic injections of other kinds. 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. Administering it for this reason involves the Facial Cosmetic Surgery Permit to approve of the procedure. Board approved courses are taught in some states like Georgia, they lay out the exact specifications of administering the toxin, and the different types available and of course rigorous review of the anatomy of the face.

Botox treatments for cosmetic reasons have lately been allowed by the Massachusetts Board of Dentistry, for those who have had the intensive training required for these injections.

Botox injections by dentists have different requirements according to the particular state involved, patients must look at the rules in the state for themselves. From observable data as of late, it looks like it's moving toward dentists being approved for cosmetic administration of botox treatments.

The debate

Some debate is happening presently for and against dentists being approved to cosmetically treat patients using botox injections. 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. Some state boards recommendations are partly in line with this, that dentists should only perform botox treatments for purposes related to dentistry.

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

Botox injections are becoming ever more popular with the demand exceeding the number of personnel able to administer the drug. With ever changing policies, state boards are now approving dentists to treat patients who would like to have botox treatments performed.