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Before any patient has their first treatment with me at Pennington Dental, we sit down and talk. Properly. The questions that come up are nearly always the same, and they’re nearly always the right questions to ask. So I’ve gathered them here, with the answers I give in the room. 

If you’ve been thinking about facial aesthetics but you haven’t yet booked a consultation, this is the conversation you would have with me. In writing, in advance.

Will I look “done”? 

No. And that is the whole point of how I work. 

I’m conservative with volume, anatomy-led with placement, and I build results in layers over

weeks and months rather than packing everything into a single session. We photograph and review at every appointment, so you can see the change as it builds. If anywhere starts edging toward “done”, I dial it back. 

I would rather you underdo it twice than overdo it once. That’s the rule.

Is it safe?

Safer than most people realise, when the basics are right. 

The serious risks with injectables — vascular events with filler, and very rarely vision loss — are real. They are also rare and largely preventable when the clinician knows the anatomy, uses the right product in the right tissue plane, and has the emergency protocol in place. 

Every consultation at Pennington Dental is face-to-face with me as the prescribing clinician, in line with current GDC, JCCP and the June 2025 NMC guidance. Hyaluronidase, the reversal agent for hyaluronic acid filler, is on site and in date. The ACE Group World vascular occlusion algorithm is on the wall of my treatment room. I’ve completed cadaver-based anatomy and complication-management training, and I refresh it on a structured cycle — not just at initial qualification. 

Twenty years of head-and-neck anatomy as a dentist underpins all of it. Safety isn’t a marketing line for me. It is the infrastructure behind every appointment.

Why a dentist for facial aesthetics? 

Five years of head-and-neck anatomy with cadaver dissection at undergraduate level. Twenty years of daily injection-handling under clinical conditions. A sterile-technique culture that’s built into every dental practice. These are the baseline for me, not added extras. 

On top of that, I can think about your smile, your bite, your lip support and your facial proportions in one conversation. The lower third of your face is dental territory. Treating it without that knowledge is treating with one eye closed.

How long do results last? 

Different treatments work on different timelines: 

• Botulinum toxin lasts 3 to 4 months in the upper face. Masseter (jaw slimming) lasts 4 to 6 months. Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) lasts around 6 months. 
• Hyaluronic acid filler lasts 6 to 12 months in lips, 12 to 18 months in tear troughs and temples, and 12 to 24 months in cheeks, chin and jawline.
• Profhilo is a two-session course that gives around six months of effect, with six monthly maintenance afterwards. 
• Polynucleotides are a two to three-session course giving six to nine months of effect, with maintenance at six months. 
• Microneedling builds over four to six sessions and is maintained with six to twelve monthly top-ups.

Nothing is permanent. Everything fades. That is actually part of the safety profile, not a downside. 

What does it actually cost?

Pricing here is by written plan, not by syringe. 

After your consultation you leave with a costed plan that lays out areas, products, sessions and timing in writing. Single treatments start from a published price for botulinum toxin and a single-area filler treatment. Layered plans — the kind I write most often — range from a focused entry-level plan to comprehensive multi-area work over several months. 

There are no hidden fees. No surprise top-up costs. Anything additional is agreed in writing before it happens. Finance is available through Tabeo if you prefer to spread the investment.

What if I change my mind? 

There’s a 24 to 48-hour cooling-off period between consultation and your first treatment by default. No exceptions for first-time patients. For larger structural treatments, I prefer a full week. 

Once treated, hyaluronic acid filler can be dissolved with hyaluronidase if your view changes. Botulinum toxin wears off on its own. Course treatments aren’t all or nothing — you can pause between sessions and pick up later. 

There is no commercial pressure at any point. Saying “not yet” or “not for me” is part of the conversation, and patients who decide not to proceed have not lost their consultation fee in vain. That consultation has its own clinical value, separate from any treatment that follows.

How do I know if filler is right for me? 

You’ll know after the consultation, not before. 

Sometimes the answer is filler. Sometimes it’s a bio-remodeller, polynucleotides, microneedling, better skincare, or a referral elsewhere. Sometimes it’s no treatment at all, and that’s a real answer, not a polite one.

I’ll tell you honestly which group you’re in. If we go ahead, I work in conservative volumes that can be reversed if your view changes.

Can men have these treatments? 

Yes. And male aesthetics is its own clinical conversation, not a smaller version of the female one. Different proportions, different muscle bulk, different priorities. 

I commonly treat men for jawline definition, bruxism with masseter toxin, brow heaviness, frown lines, and skin quality. The same anatomy-led, conservative approach applies. You will never leave looking “done”.

Where do I start? 

The same place every patient does. A full-face consultation at Pennington Dental Stratford upon-Avon. We take an hour. We assess the whole face, photograph properly, talk through your concerns and goals, and I write you a plan you can take away. 

No same-day treatment. No pressure. Just a proper clinical conversation, in the kind of detail your face deserves.

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