As we age, it’s normal to experience many changes to our face and bodies that, let’s be honest, aren’t too desirable. We slow down physically, our hair turns gray, and as our skin loses collagen, it becomes thinner and less elastic. Thankfully there are many options out there to help stave off the ravages of time for as long as possible. Staying physically fit can help keep us active long into our senior years, and a relaxing trip to the day spa can rejuvenate our spirits while it corrects our hair color. We can even eat a low-sugar diet, wear lotion with an SPF or get cosmetic treatments like Botox or fillers to help maintain a youthful glow. But sometimes these preventative measures just aren’t enough.
Are your teeth worn, discolored or broken? Are they out of alignment or are you missing teeth – even just in the back of your mouth? The great news is if you’re unhappy with your smile and are considering a face-lift as well, you may not need as much intervention as you originally thought! That’s because, believe it or not, a full-mouth reconstruction procedure may be able to fix both problems. Here’s how.
Missing Teeth?
Are you missing teeth – even in spaces in the back of your mouth that aren’t visible when smiling? Do you notice that no matter how hard you try to correct it, the skin on your face appears loose or sagging? Do your cheeks or eyes appear sunken or hollowed? Believe it or not, those missing teeth could be responsible for the sagging appearance of your face. That’s because when we lose teeth, our jaws are no longer positioned where they should be. This can cause everything from a bad bite to – you guessed it – that sunken look in your cheeks and skin. Worse yet, these problems will only increase with time, because when you have a bad bite, you open your mouth up to a whole host of other problems, ranging from TMJ disorders to teeth grinding to uneven wear of the teeth. Uneven wear can cause everything from chipping, pitting, cracking or breakage – even if you’re only missing one tooth!
The great news is that when you replace missing teeth, the jaw can then be realigned, improving the appearance of your entire face. The sagging skin will tighten back to your face, the hollowed cheeks will appear fuller and younger – and your entire face will appear more rested and youthful in the process.
Damaged Teeth
If your teeth are worn or damaged, you may smile a lot less. The bad news is, this can make you look older. In fact, a study published in Psychology and Aging reported that, when shown pictures of smiling people, participants underestimated their age by an average of two years – proving that when you smile, you look younger. Thus, when you hide your smile, you’re not doing yourself any favors. But that’s not all – when you smile and show damaged, stained or crooked teeth, you can expect people to add years to your age. According to an Oral B Smile Report study in the UK, participants added an average of 13 years to their estimation of the age of a model with damaged teeth!
A full-mouth reconstruction that corrects your bite as well as the shape, size and color of your teeth will not only restore your beautiful smile, but it will also subtract years from your appearance!
TMJ Disorder
Having a bad bite can cause many problems, including a TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorder. While no patient is exactly the same, TMJ disorders can cause everything from jaw tightness and stiffness to pain while chewing, the inability to open and close the mouth, teeth grinding, teeth wear and breakage, ringing in the ears, headaches and neck pain, and even poor posture. The bad news? All these things can make you look and feel older. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, neuromuscular dentistry treatment in conjunction with full-mouth reconstruction can help you look – and, more importantly, feel – your best and maybe even eliminate the need for a face-lift.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. George to see if neuromuscular dentistry and full-mouth reconstruction can help you, please call her office at 724-934-3422.
