Increase in patient complaints forces cosmetic dentistry industry crackdown
There's concern in the beauty and dentistry industries over a crackdown on cosmetic procedures, with everything from Botox injections to dental veneers under the spotlight. Authorities say stronger safeguards are needed to protect the high numbers of young and potentially vulnerable people who undergo these procedures.
Transcript
00:00 Very good. I'm going to get you to pop on these glasses.
00:04 Jayden Velarde hasn't looked back since achieving his dream of getting porcelain veneers.
00:10 The main issue that I had with my teeth personally, and not everyone will agree with me, is they
00:15 were gappy, so there was gaps in between them and they weren't really proportionate to one
00:22 another. They were all different shapes and sizes.
00:25 Veneers are effectively thin shells bonded to teeth. The 25-year-old FIFO worker went
00:31 from this to this.
00:33 I've wanted a nice smile since I was 15. It was $21,000 for absolutely everything start
00:40 to finish, which in my opinion is absolutely priceless.
00:45 Jayden says he made a fully informed decision to go ahead with the procedure, but authorities
00:51 say not all young people are being made aware of the risks and ongoing costs.
00:56 People may not have really understood that when they're having veneers done, say for
01:01 example the upper front teeth being burred back to create space for the veneers, that
01:07 this is a lifelong project that they've undertaken and would require lifelong maintenance as
01:12 they go forward.
01:14 They're planning stronger safeguards across the non-surgical cosmetics sector, everything
01:19 from veneers to Botox and fillers.
01:22 Included in the changes, practitioners would have to avoid advertising that glamorises
01:27 cosmetic procedures, avoid misleading before and after photos and assess patients for psychological
01:34 conditions.
01:36 This dentist is on board with the bulk of the proposals.
01:40 I think before and after pics, if they are unedited and they are actually realistic,
01:45 I think that's actually important. But as you know, there is a lot of photos that could
01:48 be photoshopped, there's a lot of AI that could be done on photos and they don't really
01:53 represent the treatment that's actually been completed.
01:59 The beauty industry agrees stronger rules are needed, but it's warned against the over-regulation
02:04 of advertising.
02:06 In this day and age, people do their research online and they shouldn't have that freedom
02:11 of information and freedom of choice removed from them. You know, knowledge is power.
02:16 The changes are being mainly welcomed by cosmetic surgeons who sometimes have to deal with complications
02:22 from injectable treatments. The beauty industry has underlined the need for more education.
02:28 We would rather see a shift towards education, excellence and the elevation of standards
02:34 rather than excessively harsh consequences for nurses and practitioners.
02:39 For Jaden, his new smile involves an ongoing financial commitment. His veneers will need
02:45 to be replaced in 10 to 15 years' time, but it's a cost he's prepared to pay.
02:51 You have a really good night and you look at the photos the next day and you might not
02:55 want to post it to social media because you don't like your smile. So I feel a lot more
02:59 confident just laughing and smiling and being more engaged in conversations.
03:03 Over 100 submissions to the plans are being reviewed before any changes are enforced.
03:09 Major surgery for a booming industry.
03:12 That's great.
03:14 [BLANK_AUDIO]