Why You Must Tell Your Dentist About Your Lip Fillers

A dentist might not be the only professional helping you with your smile. You might have sought out some assistance to help you with another way in which your smile is showcased—namely your lips. It's not as though lip fillers will play much of a direct role in your dental health; however, there's a potential area of concern you need to be aware of.

Medical History

Your dentist is a medical professional, and as such, you probably already know the importance of discussing your medical history with them. It's necessary to talk about any medical conditions you've been diagnosed with since your last visit, or any changes to an existing medical condition, or any medication you're on (both prescription and over-the-counter), or any surgery you might have had since your last visit. But surely lip fillers aren't important enough to mention?

Proximity

Lip fillers can result in a temporary delay for some dental procedures. It's certainly not as though the filling agent itself has any effect on your dental health, and it's more about the filler's proximity to your teeth and gingival tissues. This can create some short-term complications with dental treatment.

Time to Settle

Your dentist might wish to delay any non-essential procedures until such time as your filler has had time to settle. The exact waiting period will vary somewhat, depending on the type and amount of filler, as well as your personal circumstances. Your dentist may suggest waiting for up to four weeks (although the waiting period can be shorter than this). This waiting period is only for non-urgent or elective dental procedures. Emergency treatment should not be delayed. But why delay at all?

Filler Displacement

Dental treatment can be incompatible with recently injected lip fillers because your dentist will need to move your lips in order to access your teeth. You will have to hold your mouth open for extended periods of time, and your dentist may need to manually prop your mouth open. This contortion of the lips can displace the filler from its injection site. This is not harmful; however, it can greatly minimise the effect of the filler.

Irritation and Infection

In addition to moving the filler around, dental work that immediately follows the injection of a lip filler carries a small risk of infection. This is only an issue when a dentist needs to administer anaesthetic via a syringe, and it's possible for the syringe to penetrate the tissues where your lip filler is currently settling. Although the risk is low, the introduction of bacterial microorganisms to the filler site (from the puncture mark inside your mouth) can lead to irritation and infection. This is another reason why your dentist may delay treatment until any cosmetic fillers have settled.

Lip fillers can result in a short delay in your dental treatment, and you should think of your lip augmentation just like any other medical procedure— meaning you must be sure to tell your dentist about it.


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