A social (media) revolution is upon us. For more than 7,000 years, humans have been searching for the fountain of youth. Today, we are showing off enhancements and new beauty trends to the whole world, mostly via our mobile devices.

Dentists have been dabbling in injectable esthetic procedures for more than a decade now. We have been talking about facially driven planning for smile enhancement for longer. But are we really looking at the whole face and its animated expressions before we treat our patients? Are plastic surgeons and dermatologists even looking at the teeth and smile before enhancing the face? Could the deeper integration of the two esthetic worlds bring us closer than ever to a truly whole face assessment and a set of solutions provided by a single practice?

Back in 1997, I began my journey into the world of cosmetic dentistry, one born out of boredom, with tooth by tooth dentistry, as well as an awareness of huge changes in the way patients were seeking out their dental treatment. There was a global wave of interest in smile enhancement, initially in tooth whitening but closely followed by smile makeovers using porcelain veneers. The advent of the internet allowed patients to become aware of the possibilities and search for a dentist who provided these treatments. It also allowed dentists to advertise the results they could achieve.

Cosmetic dentists told the world 10 porcelain veneers could make patients look 10 years younger, but in reality, we were only looking at teeth and not the whole face. This was the era where a face lift was seemingly the only option to reduce the signs of facial ageing. New treatments were emerging, so I took a Botulinum toxin course in 2002 to learn more.

The social media revolution, in particular the rise of Instagram and its star influencers, has seen a global explosion in patients seeking non-surgical facial esthetics. Repeat injectable treatments now seem to be as common as going to the hygienist! In fact, a lot of dentists already offer facial esthetics in their practices.

Dentists are generally considered to be the best health care professionals to provide injectable treatments. We have had medical training and know facial anatomy. We are very adept and confident in handling syringes and needles and giving injections, so the learning curve is generally short.

Our practices are set up to easily integrate these procedures. Dentists are very esthetically aware and used to looking at faces and discussing the ageing process. The days of only a small minority of dentists providing cosmetic dental procedures is over. Almost every dentist tries to provide esthetic outcomes.

In a recent survey of young dental graduates in the UK, more than 70% said they were much more interested in facial esthetics than practicing general dentistry. Every young dental associate in my practice has been trained extensively in these treatments and provides them on a routine basis. It is now part of the multi-disciplinary armamentarium that we can offer as super esthetic dentists. It is vital, however, that training is done to a very high level as these procedures do not come without significant risks.

So why is whole face esthetics important? Why does all of this matter?

I see patients at least once a week, referred by my surgeon colleagues, who have had lip filler enhancement. They love their new lips, but complain of not being able to see their teeth anymore! Larger lips make the teeth look smaller and darker.

Gummy smiles can be effectively treated with Botox in a lot of cases so patients can avoid more complex gingival or orthognathic surgical intervention and/or orthodontics.

What good is a face lift taking 20 years off if the patient has a “tooth age” of 80? Tooth wear is in essence an ageing process that also can have a negative effect on the appearance of the whole face, not just the teeth.

Faces age dramatically when lower facial height reduces and a patient loses vertical dimension. This happens after years of tooth or tooth surface loss. As dentists, we can reverse this process and rebuild more youthful facial dimensions. Maybe the facelift should come second?!

There are many other cross over applications, which is why fully integrating the two worlds suggests better treatment plans and better results.

So why does it matter? It matters if we wish to offer our patients the very best outcomes. It matters if we want our practices to thrive.

I truly believe the successful dental (and esthetic) practices of the immediate future and beyond will embrace and capitalize on the opportunity for them to be seen as the fountain of youth center of excellence in their community.

Dentists can be trained to perform injectable esthetics to an extremely high standard. Esthetic dentists who choose not to do this must at the very least familiarize themselves with all of the options available in facial esthetic procedures. Many of these procedures also can eliminate the need for more invasive dental procedures, such as orthognathic surgery, complex orthodontics and periodontal surgery.

It is not practical, however, to train plastic surgeons and dermatologists to perform esthetic dentistry. I used to say esthetic/cosmetic dentists should be consulted before patients consider any treatment plan for non-surgical whole face enhancement. But it is possible to raise their awareness and create a set of assessment guidelines and protocols to ensure optimal treatment pathways are followed.

I truly believe the age of “Whole Face Esthetics” is upon us. That is why I have gone into business and a partnership with a cosmetic surgeon and another cosmetic dentist in the UK. Define Clinic fully integrates the two areas of expertise and blends the patient journey and experience.

As far as we know, there is no other clinic in the world that has truly integrated these two areas. We are facing many challenges in merging these two worlds and different patient journeys, but we have created a physical setting that allows patients to receive care from both the dentist and the cosmetic surgeon as opposed to just having a basic referral system.

We are building a unique assessment process and treatment pathway algorithm. We offer a dual consultation on site. The whole face is considered, both in a range of static poses as well as a fully animated video analysis. Blended treatment plans are created as well as long-term maintenance and anti-ageing plans. Early intervention for better airway and facial growth and development for children as well as adult orthodontics are a crucial part of our offering.

We also teach dentists and medical specialists about how to analyze and plan whole face treatment for the most beautiful and long-lasting outcomes and encourage dentists to collaborate with cosmetic doctors and surgeons to ensure optimal results.

We’ve joined the revolution. It’s time for you to do the same.