The prospect of injections, poking and prodding were once a good enough reason for many to avoid the dentist’s chair, but practitioners are finding that that is exactly why patients are now visiting as the demand for cosmetic procedures continues to grow.
Seven of the big dental chains are now offering cosmetic procedures like Botox or other facial treatments at some of their branches, leading to more and more practices offering the treatments.
My Dentist, which has 650 UK practices; Bupa Dental, which has almost 500; and Portman dental, with 200, are among the largest chains that offer aesthetic services. Others include Rodericks and Together Dental , which offer anti-wrinkle treatments.
A 2022 audit by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPs) showed that 6,639 Botox treatments were performed by members, a 124% increase on the previous year.
Experts say that the boom is due to these procedures becoming more socially acceptable as a growing number opt for injectables and are happy with the results. The value of non-surgical cosmetic treatments such as Botox and fillers in the UK are estimated to be worth in the region of £2.75bn.
Len D’Cruz, head of indemnity at the British Dental Association, said dentists have been increasingly offering cosmetic services for around four years amid demand for non-surgical “anti-ageing” treatments, as “people realise it’s a very safe thing to do”.
D’Cruz said that people turn to dentists because “they have the skillset as they are working on patients’ faces and necks”.
The website of the provider Mydentist says it offers dermal filler injections “under your skin to restore the firmness and smoothness associated with youth”. They also offer cosmetic fillers for wrinkles and microneedling, often referred to as dermarolling, a cosmetic procedure in which thousands of tiny little needles are inserted into the skin’s surface via a rolling or stamping device. The needles stimulate the skin’s healing process, producing more collagen and elastin. Treatments are advertised at a guide price of about £350, or clients can pay £29.17 a month for 12 months.
When asked whether Botox could ever outstrip anti-ageing creams as the go-to product for people, Marc Pacifco, president of the BAAPS, said: “Facial ageing is multifactorial – it involves the skin surface, the underlying muscles, sagging of tissues and changes in volume of the face. Therefore, there are different approaches to each of these factors and different treatments and combinations are required, each tailored to the individual.”
D’Cruz said it was good that Botox and other aesthetic treatments such as lip fillers were being delivered by qualified people who have “indemnity and insurance” – as it lowers the risk for the consumer.
He said that the interest in aesthetics was particularly prevalent among “younger dentists who want to do it as it’s a bit more exciting and glamorous”. He said: “It’s not as invasive and complicated as dentistry … It’s probably more part of the future of dentistry and a thing people ask for and want more.
“A lot of younger people in their 20s are now getting Botox and using it for wrinkles and crow’s feet, they are not old but have it for skin contouring. People get it done for a range of reasons so it’s becoming more acceptable,” he added.
Aran Maxwell-Cox, a clinician at Mydentist, said demand for cosmetic dentistry is “through the roof”, with Botox the most popular procedure among clients. He said: “If I treat someone’s teeth then their face frames their smile, so it’s about looking at it holistically.”
He has been training other practitioners in facial aesthetics and says there is big demand among younger dentists. “There is a push now in dentistry to have more strings in your bow … Facial aesthetics allows you to do that, but it also allows you into the field of aesthetic medicine, which is so broad and interesting.”
Maxwell-Cox said the majority of dentists now have a clinician on board who can offer treatments. “Everything we do is about patient safety, so we have to be careful. You know you are coming into a professional and clean environment.”
Ashton Collins, the director of Save Face, a national, government-approved register of accredited non-surgical treatment practitioners, said dentists make up 30% of their registrations, and it is an “extremely popular treatment” for them to offer.
“If you are having your teeth done you may also want to consider lip fillers. Dentists already use Botox to treat teeth grinding so these treatments go hand-in-hand with dentistry,” she said.
She added that demand for cosmetic services has increased since the pandemic and the number of “rogue practitioners” had also risen as a result.
