Have you noticed that people are treating you older than they used to? Are people offering you senior discounts or guessing an age much higher than they used to? If that’s the case, it may be that your smile is the problem.
If you’re feeling pressure about aging, there are many ways that your smile could be making you look older.
Actual patient of Beyond Exceptional Dentistry
Discolored Teeth
Teeth naturally acquire stains as we get older. And thinning enamel can allow discolored dentin to show through. So it’s no surprise that people associate discolored teeth with age.
In some cases, teeth whitening works to make your smile look younger, but in other cases, we might recommend other approaches, such as porcelain veneers to whiten your teeth.
Worn or Missing Teeth
As with discoloration, wear on teeth is a natural part of aging. Our teeth start out fairly long, and the central incisors are larger than the lateral incisors. As we get older, our teeth get shorter and they tend toward the same length. When people see the size and shape of your teeth, they make mental calculations about your likely age.
But probably the biggest factor that will age your smile is having one or more missing teeth. Missing teeth make you look older.
Worn teeth can be built back up using dental crowns or veneers. And these days we can even replace missing teeth with dental implants.
Outdated Restorations
Not all causes of visible aging in your mouth are natural. Your dental work may also be to blame for making your smile look old. Metal amalgam fillings can discolor your teeth. And amalgam fillings are rapidly passing out of use, which marks you as older if you have them. Even gold is being used much less often as a filling material. And the sheer number of fillings you have can be a giveaway about your age.
We can update your fillings with tooth-colored materials. This won’t show your age–it won’t even show that you have decay.
Wrinkles around the Mouth
Tooth wear and tooth loss impact more than your smile. Your teeth and jaws are the support for the lower third of your face, and as they get worn down, the support erodes. This leads to excess skin in the lower face, which has to fold or bunch up around the mouth.
A nonsurgical facelift can be used to restore the natural proportions of your face so that you can look younger.
Wrinkles around the Eyes
The aging impact of your smile can extend all the way up to your eyes. Some of the muscles used when you smile are around your eyes. When you have more hanging skin in the lower part of your face, your eye muscles have to work harder to elevate the skin around your mouth. This leads to muscle-related wrinkles around the eyes.
Restoring your face’s youthful proportions with a nonsurgical facelift or Denture Fountain of Youth® can make your face easier on your eyes (yours as well as others’!). This leads to fewer wrinkles around the eyes.
Rejuvenate Your Appearance
If you are unhappy with the way your smile is aging you, there’s no time like the present to do something about it. Please call (912) 234-8282 today for an appointment with a Savannah cosmetic dentist at Beyond Exceptional Dentistry.
