A healthy and attractive smile can make you look younger. As we age our teeth become chipped, discoloured and worn which contributes to our appearance. Cosmetic dentistry can take years off your smile and give you back confidence.
What makes a smile look aged?
As years go by the edges of our teeth wear until all our teeth have the same length. Our muscles lose their tone making our upper lip cover more of our upper teeth and at the same time the lower lip revealing more of our lower teeth. In addition our teeth become darker in colour giving the appearance of an aged smile.
How do I get a younger looking smile?
1. Make sure your oral hygiene is up to a high standard
What is most important is to never stop caring, always look after your teeth and make sure you brush everyday using interdental aids as an adjunct to your brushing. At Artiste Studios – L’Orthodontiste you can have your 6 monthly Diamond Cleans that will ensure your gums are healthy and your teeth shiny and clean. We will also give you advice and help you improve your brushing technique to ensure that you are keeping your gums and teeth healthy at home too.
2. Replace any broken or leaking fillings
Restoring any broken fillings will ensure that your teeth are healthy and don’t cause you any pain or discomfort. In addition and only if necessary replacing metal fillings will give a more aesthetic result.
3. Repair any tooth wear including that on natural and artificial teeth
Tooth surface loss can be repaired in 3 ways. At Artiste Studios – L’Orthodontiste prior to starting any work on your teeth we can make a model smile mock up including a trial smile. This will allow you to visualise more accurately the design of your new smile.
■ Starting with the more conservative option cosmetic contouring will reshape the tips of your teeth giving the appearance of being longer than they really are. Bonding of the front surfaces of your teeth will also give you a more youthful appearance. However this may require polishing every 6-12 months and will eventually have to be redone.
■ Discoloured and worn front teeth can also be covered with veneers that will give an overall appearance of whiter, longer and younger looking teeth.
■ And if the tooth wear is extensive crowns will be the choice of treatment as these cover the whole tooth.
4. Replace any missing teeth
It is important to replace missing teeth sooner than later. Missing teeth can cause the mouth to sink in and deep lines to form on the skin adding years to the face.
■ Dentures can be one choice of treatment but these are not a permanent solution as dentures fracture and chip more easily than natural teeth. At Artiste Studios – L’Orthodontiste we offer flexible dentures that are more comfortable than traditional dentures.
■ A bridge can also be used to replace a missing tooth. This option is fixed with aesthetically pleasing results.
■ Implants are a permanent solution and give you a feeling similar to having a natural tooth in your mouth. Implants do not damage adjacent teeth and also preserve bone. Artiste Studios - L'Orthodontiste also provides groundbreaking options such as implant orthodontics to ensure you have more complete healthy smile-enhancing options.
5. Lighten any discoloured teeth
Tooth whitening is the choice of treatment for lightening teeth. It is a conservative but highly effective way to achieve a brighter younger looking smile.
And don’t forget that it’s never too late for orthodontics!!! Orthodontics allows for alignment of teeth giving you a straighter smile but also a set of teeth that is easier to clean. At Artiste Studios – L’Orthodontiste we will consider all the above scenarios when we customise a treatment plan that will best suit you and give you the youthful, confident smile that you are after. Please don't hesitate to give us a call, send us an email or even come by our practice and we will be more than happy to help you.
