When you look at yourself in the mirror, do you look your age? Now, smile. Do you look older? Sometimes aesthetic flaws in your smile can affect your overall appearance, making you look older than you are. We believe your smile should make you smile! Aging is natural but a cosmetic dentist can help you regain — and keep — your youthful appearance and feel confident in your smile.
Aesthetic Problems That Age Smiles
There are several things that can affect the appearance of your smile, including:
- Discoloration (brown spots)
- Enamel cracks or chips
- Gum recession
- Missing teeth
- Tooth decay
- Tooth sensitivity
- Teeth that are too large or small
- Too much gum tissue
- Underbite or overbite
- Over-contoured teeth
- Poor alignment
- Tooth discolorations
What Can Dentists Do to Help You Look Younger While Aging?
The best way to maintain a healthy, beautiful smile is to visit your dentist regularly for cleanings and checkups. But if you have problems with your smile, there are ways to correct them. Cosmetic dentistry can improve your smile by correcting minor imperfections. It can also be used to hide more serious problems before they become visible and affect your appearance.
Six Dentistry Problems That Make You Look Older — And Procedures That Can Help
Problem: Missing Teeth. Missing a tooth or multiple teeth? You’re not alone. Many adults are missing teeth (for a variety of reasons), which can change the appearance of the smile and the face overall. Missing teeth can make you look older because it creates gaps in your smile and can cause your facial structure to shrink and your skin to be slack. This contributes to the development of wrinkles and can make you look older than you are. In fact, one study found that women who had lost all their teeth were considered to be about 10 years older than those with 20 or more natural teeth.
Solution: Dental Implants. If you’re missing teeth or have gaps between them, your smile may be making you look older. Missing teeth can also convey that your oral health is poor or that you are unhealthy. We recommend a dental implant as a tooth-replacement option to help restore the appearance of your smile, keep your bone structure healthy and your skin tight, and make you look younger.
Problem: Stained Teeth. Our teeth can change color over time due to stains from coffee, tea, red wine, tobacco, certain medications and even aging. The result is often a darker shade of brown or yellow on your teeth. This usually occurs when food particles get trapped under the surface of the enamel and then darken over time.
Solution: Whitening Treatments. Whitening treatments remove staining without changing the color of your teeth. These treatments work by using light energy to break down the stain molecules on your teeth so they can be removed. We offer professional whitening treatments that will leave your teeth brighter and whiter and you looking younger.
Problem: Smaller Teeth. As people grow older, their teeth may appear to “shrink.” This may be an illusion caused by lost skin elasticity, or it may be that your teeth are actually being worn down by tooth grinding.
Solution: Crowns and Bridges. When the front teeth appear smaller, a crown or bridge may be the best solution to give your teeth a better appearance.
Problem: Misaligned Teeth. Alignment issues such as crooked teeth, crowded teeth, misaligned bite and uneven spacing can contribute to an unattractive smile. They can also lead to other problems like gum disease, jaw pain and headaches.
Solution: Orthodontics. Braces can straighten crooked teeth, close gaps between teeth and move teeth into place to create a more attractive smile. Orthodontic treatment can also prevent future damage to your teeth and jaws caused by improper bites.
Problem: Stained, Chipped, Cracked, Gapped or Misshapen Teeth. These conditions can contribute to an aged appearance.
Solution: Porcelain Veneers. If you have stained or broken teeth, it will be visible when you smile. Cosmetic bonding can cover these imperfections and give you a brighter, whiter smile, which makes you look younger. Porcelain veneers are durable, look natural and can instantly give your smile a boost — which makes them an extremely popular cosmetic dentistry option.
Problem: Receding Gums. Receding gum tissue can detract from the overall appearance of your smile.
Solution: Laser Gum Surgery. Gum disease can cause gums to recede, making some of your teeth appear “longer” and your gums looking unhealthy. This can make you look older because your smile appears uneven. In some cases, this problem can be treated with laser periodontal surgery.
Want to look younger? Let us take a look at your smile! Call us now to schedule a consultation and gain a more youthful appearance with cosmetic dentistry.