Can Your Smile Make You Look Older?

Many people aren’t exactly crazy about the aging process. You work out regularly, try to eat a healthy diet, cover your grays, and moisturize your skin, but in the end your smile may give you away. Cosmetic dentists in Glendale have found that a white, attractive smile can shave years off your appearance.

Studies have shown that when subjects are shown pictures of someone smiling, they estimate them to be several years younger, while people shown pictures of the same person with a sour expression estimate their age as several years older. So simply smiling can give a more youthful appearance.
What if, like many people, you’re embarrassed by your smile? The same issues that make you feel embarrassed are the same issues that can make you look older than you really are. As we age our teeth tend to darken, and become more fragile, more prone to chips and cracks. In addition, the aging process often results in a receding gum line, which makes the teeth appear longer. Have you ever heard the expression that someone is getting “long in the tooth”?

Today, your Arizona cosmetic dentist can offer numerous treatments to rejuvenate your smile. Some of the treatments that may be comprised in your smile makeover in Glendale include:

Veneers, Dental Bonding, and Crowns

As teeth become worn over the years it can begin to show. You may not realize that the enamel covering your teeth has become weakened, until you bite into something that never bothered you before, and it results in a chip or a crack. To lessen the likelihood of this, be more gentle with your teeth. Don’t chew ice, hard candy, or popcorn kernels, and never use your teeth in an attempt to open something.

If you do end up with a chipped tooth, dental bonding is often used to restore small chips. Your Arizona cosmetic dentist can fill in the chipped area with tooth colored resin and then use a special light to harden it.

To restore a larger area or a cracked tooth your Glendale dentist can use a porcelain veneer. This is a very thin porcelain shell that will fit over the front of your tooth. Porcelain veneers in Glendale can be made to exactly match your other teeth in size, color, and shape. In addition, today’s porcelain veneers have a beautiful translucency that gives them a completely natural look.

Sometimes a tooth can fracture. This necessitates more extensive repair, and will probably require a dental crown, which will cover the entire tooth.

After years of use, sometimes teeth become shorter and/or flatter. This is another condition that can be corrected with porcelain veneers or dental crowns.

Teeth Whitening

Teeth darken as you age for various reasons. As your enamel becomes more fragile it becomes more susceptible to staining. Some of the biggest culprits include smoking, wine, and coffee. Dingy teeth will add years to your smile. Whiter teeth give a more youthful impression. In addition, pearly white teeth make an attractive contrast against your lips and gums making them appear healthier and more youthful. Teeth whitening in Glendale is the most commonly performed procedure in a smile makeover.

Contemporary dentistry offers several methods of teeth whitening. Your dentist can provide you with a whitening kit that you can use at home. If your teeth are only slightly dingy, and you have the time to invest in the multiple applications required, this type of teeth whitening may work for you. The most effective whitening method is done in your dentist’s office. The dentist applies the bleach and then uses a special light that enhances the whitening. In one hour your teeth can be up to 10 shades lighter!

To prolong the effects, you should brush your teeth at least twice daily to remove stains before they set in. One study showed that people who brush their teeth twice daily rather than once, looked several years younger than their actual age.

Another issue that ages your smile is older dental crowns, made with dark metal at the top that went underneath the gum line. As you get older your gums often recede, allowing a line of that dark metal to show. Today there are better crowns available to be used on front teeth, crowns don’t have dark metal at the top.

Gum Grafting, Scaling, and Root Planing

Your teeth can’t actually grow longer, but they can appear to due to gum recession. Gum recession is a common dental problem that affects up to 15% of adults. It often goes unnoticed until it becomes more severe. Gum recession can be caused by gum disease, bruxism, or just brushing too hard. As gums recede more of the tooth becomes visible, which makes teeth appear longer. This can make a person look older. The easiest fix may be changing how you brush your teeth. Use a soft toothbrush and a gentle circular motion.

If your dentist decides you need more intervention they may recommend scaling and root planing. This involves scaling all plaque deposits from your teeth and root surfaces, followed by root planing which smooths any rough patches on the surface of the roots of your teeth. A smooth root surface makes it more difficult for plaque producing bacteria to adhere to the roots of your teeth.

Gum grafting may be used when too much of the tooth root is exposed. It can be performed on one or several teeth in order to reduce sensitivity, or to even the appearance of your gum line. Gum grafting can reduce further gum recession and lessen tooth sensitivity. In addition, it will improve the appearance of your smile.

Since smiling makes you look younger, and an attractive smile makes you look younger still, call Aesthetic Dentistry of Arrowhead today to get started on your smile makeover.