Facial Esthetics

Dr. Elizabeth Rooney is a member of the American Academy of Facial Esthetics and is proud to offer facial esthetics services like Botox and DermaFiller at Seaport Dental.

What is Botox?

Botox is a trade name for botulinum toxin, which comes in the form of a purified protein. There is absolutely no live bacteria in Botox. Botox is a safe, effective, proven method of smoothing out wrinkles in the forehead, around the eyes, and mouth.

How Does Botox Work

Protecting our patients is highly important to our practice. To protect patients we meet and exceed the high level of infection control standards required by the Centers for Disease Control, American Dental Association and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. We are happy to answer any questions regarding our sterilization practices, and a tour sterilization area is available to patients upon request.

Highly Trained and Skilled Clinicians

Botox is injected into the facial muscles and, within a few hours, it attaches itself to the nerve endings, thereby affecting the nerve transmission to these muscles. Once these nerve endings are interrupted, the muscles cannot contract. When the muscle does not contract, the motion that causes wrinkles in the skin will then cease. Approximately 2 to 10 days after treatment, the skin above these muscles becomes nice and smooth. The effects of Botox last approximately 3 to 4 months. When the patient sees the wrinkles reappear, the patient needs retreatment.

Dental Uses for Botox

Botox has clinical uses as an adjunct in TMJ and bruxism cases, even more so for patients with moderate chronic TMJ and facial pain. Botox is a muscle relaxer and can greatly reduce the intensity of the muscle contractions that contribute to TMJ and facial pain and give the patient significant relief.

Botox is often used in conjunction with dermal filler therapy as a non-surgical alternative to high lip line cases. With some Botox therapy and lip augmentation with dermal fillers, the muscles surrounding the lip are weakened so they cannot raise the lip as high as before. The patient is not able to raise their lip as high as before to show the gums on the left side, but still has the full ability to speak, chew and kiss.

​​​​​​​The advantages of treating cases like the one above with Botox and dermal fillers are close to immediate results in one appointment and no removal of tooth structure.

What does a dermal filler do?

A dermal filler injection is a material injected underneath the skin around the mouth or “smile lines”, which plump up these areas and smooth out the wrinkles. Lip augmentation is also done with dermal fillers.

​​​​​​​The main areas where dermal fillers are used are the areas that frame the teeth and mouth. Dermal fillers are gently placed in these areas through an injection right under these folds and creases to plump them up.

How long do dermal fillers last?

Dermal fillers can last anywhere from six to eighteen months.

A Beautiful Smile, Not Just Beautiful Teeth

Botox and dermal fillers are as essential to esthetic dentistry cases as are porcelain veneers and composite resins. The soft tissues around the mouth are as important as the color and position of the teeth in determining the patient’s smile. As people get older, the corners of the mouth begin to turn down and wrinkles appear around the lips. Botox can be used to smooth these wrinkles.

View New Botox Treatment for TMJ on ‘The Doctors’