Skip to main content
Menu
800 PH 4 TEETH

Cosmetic Injectables and Dermal Fillers

Home/Advanced Care/Cosmetic Injectables and Dermal Fillers

Your smile is not perceived in isolation, so why should quality care stop at the mouth? Dento-facial health is essential to maximizing the appearance of your teeth and gums in relation to your surrounding features. That said, facial rejuvenation by way of wrinkle reduction and volume enhancement can be the last piece of completing the smile you never thought possible. Our cosmetic dentists maintain certified training in facial aesthetics from the Australasian Academy of Dento-Facial Aesthetics (AADFA). We can emphasize your natural beauty with care that is inclusive to your entire appearance and well-being.

Why Should a Dentist Perform My Facial Rejuvenation?

A harmonious approach to dentistry requires looking beyond the structures of the mouth to the surrounding aesthetics that frame your smile. Your teeth, gums, and adjacent facial features have an interconnected relationship, and cosmetic dentists are among the only clinicians with the breadth of training to provide an all-encompassing approach to dento-facial aesthetics. Dentists have intimate knowledge of oral and maxillofacial study, giving them the skills to not only enhance the foundation of your smile, but also optimize how your smile is perceived with regard to the rest of your face. In turn, a cosmetic dentist can be uniquely qualified to perform facial rejuvenation therapy. Decades of experience focusing on the muscles and anatomy of the face translate well to renewing the facial tissues, allowing precise, comfortable injections in the appropriate locations.

BOTOX® Cosmetic and Dysport®

If your smile is marred by wrinkles that are evident even while the face is at rest, an aesthetic muscle relaxant can be an effective solution to slow down skin deterioration and soften creases. Facial expressions often cause fine lines known as dynamic wrinkles to develop around the eyes and mouth, regardless of whether you’re smiling or frowning. BOTOX® Cosmetic and Dysport® are neuromodulators designed to relax the muscles responsible for repetitive facial movements, effectively smoothing expression lines such as:

  • Perioral lines (“smoker’s lines”)
  • Crow’s feet
  • Frown lines
  • Brow creases

Using botulinum toxin A as their key ingredient, BOTOX® Cosmetic and/or Dysport® is meticulously injected into muscles such as the procerus (between the brows), frontalis (forehead), and/or the corrugator supercilii (frown lines) to relax contractions and temporarily prevent overuse. The formulation then achieves facial rejuvenation by softening the lines that artificially age your appearance. BOTOX® Cosmetic and Dysport® are similar treatments but they’re not identical, so one of our dentists will guide you in determining which product is ideal for your unique needs.

Dermal Fillers

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a naturally occurring substance in the body that helps the skin retain moisture and fullness. Applied towards aesthetic purposes, hyaluronic acid-based dermal fillers can restore the youthful facial contours often lost with the body’s natural decline in collagen production. We utilize HA fillers to improve the shape and projection of the lips, the dimensions of which are central to how your smile is framed. As the leading choice in lip enhancement, the TEOSYAL® RHA product line can:

  • Refine or plump the shape of the lips
  • Achieve a more noticeable pout
  • Increase the amount of visible “tooth show”
  • Smooth vertical lip lines

Dermal fillers are designed to treat volume deficits in the face, often making them the perfect solution to improve dento-facial symmetry and highlight your smile.

Using Injectables to Enhance Oral Wellness

Correcting a Gummy Smile

Your smile should cultivate confidence, not hinder it. If you have dominating gums that prompt you to hide your smile, cosmetic injectables can be a relatively simple solution to increase your tooth-show and reduce the look of a prominent gumline. In most cases, the reason for a “gummy” smile may be caused by two factors: naturally thin lips that overly expose the gums, and/or overactive upper lip muscles. 

Enhancing lip volume with dermal fillers can address the former by creating more aesthetic balance between the gums, teeth, and lips, taking attention away from exposed gums and allowing more proportion in your smile. Not only can fillers address large gums, but the shape and fullness of the lips are also enhanced to better frame your teeth. Alternatively, muscle-relaxing injectables like BOTOX® Cosmetic and Dysport® can treat a gummy smile by temporarily relaxing the levator labii superioris—the muscle that causes the lip to pull up when smiling. By inhibiting overuse of the upper lip muscles, the rate at which the lip curls when smiling can be reduced, ultimately minimizing visibility of the gumline. The best cosmetic injectable for your smile simply depends on which factors are contributing to overexposure of the gums.    

Reducing Teeth Clenching

Bruxism, or teeth clenching, is an issue experienced by countless individuals, often without their knowledge! It’s not uncommon for patients to grind and clench their teeth while asleep, only to wake up with sore jaws or toothaches. Teeth clenching can cause pain, migraines, earaches, as well as accelerated wear and tear of the enamel. Over time, bruxism can also lead to chipped teeth, TMJ disorder, increased tooth sensitivity, and even tooth loss. BOTOX® or Dysport® injections have proven to be an effective treatment to relax the masseter and temporalis muscles to reduce clenching. Gentle injections can also alleviate uncomfortable symptoms associated with bruxism, such as pain and muscle soreness.

How are Injectable Treatments Performed?

Cosmetic injectables are conveniently administered in-office, here at our Auckland practices. Based on a facial analysis and a discussion of your concerns, we will work with you to decide the best approach to rejuvenate your dento-facial health. A numbing agent can be applied beforehand if desired to allow more comfortable injections. The product will then be delivered conservatively to the planned treatment sites via an ultra-fine needle. Most treatment sessions are completed in as little as 15 to 30 minutes. Mild swelling is possible immediately after injections, but there is generally zero downtime required following treatment. Results can be noticeable right away, with the outcome typically improving as swelling subsides.

Ready for comprehensive facial rejuvenation? Speak to our team to learn more and discover whether cosmetic injectables can help serve your aesthetic needs.