Do Your Teeth Make You Look Old?

Dentistry isn’t the first thing people usually think about when they consider how to make themselves look younger, but a truly dazzling smile can take years off your appearance. If you have discolored, stained, chipped or uneven teeth, or a misaligned bite, these defects can combine to make you look and feel older than your years.

How can aging affect my teeth?

Regular dental care and attention to dental hygiene can go a long way toward keeping your teeth healthy and looking their best. But some effects of aging are inevitable.

Discoloration. Our regular eating habits can leave stains on our teeth that are hard or even impossible to remove without special treatment. Smoking, coffee and tea are the greatest offenders, but everyday wear and tear can also contribute to discoloration of the teeth.
Chips and cracks. Accidents and trauma to the mouth can cause major chips and cracking in the teeth, but again, ordinary wear and tear can also contribute. This kind of damage to the tooth can cause an uneven appearance, and also add to discoloration.
Crooked teeth or gaps between teeth. You might think that these would be a condition you’d be born with, but teeth can, in fact, become crooked or develop gaps as we get older. If teeth must be removed due to decay, the other teeth will shift to fill the spaces, sometimes causing gaps. When wisdom teeth come in, they, too, will cause shifting, sometimes leading to overlapping or crooked teeth.
Receding or uneven gum line. The gum line naturally changes, often receding with age due to bone loss in the jaws. This can make even straight, normal teeth appear misaligned, damaged, or unhealthy.
Malocclusion. This is the technical term for a misaligned bite. Shifts in your teeth can also cause your bite to change, which can lead to extensive wear and tear on the teeth, problems with the jaws, and even alterations in your natural posture that can affect your whole body.

Any of these problems can be detrimental to a youthful appearance. Fortunately, all of them are also correctable.

What cosmetic dental procedures can make me look younger?

Correction of even one of the above conditions can make a dramatic difference in your appearance. Cosmetic dental procedures can reverse the effects of aging on your mouth and teeth and make you look years younger.

A full mouth rejuvenation can include a variety of cosmetic dentistry procedures to improve the look of your teeth. These can include:

Tooth whitening
Placement of veneers
Dental bonding

These procedures can eliminate discoloration and staining in the teeth, as well as correcting any chips or cracks, and can also fill in small gaps and help crooked teeth appear straighter.

Other procedures you might consider include:

Gum recontouring. Reshaping the gums used to require surgery and a long recovery period. Now gums can be reshaped with a laser, making the procedure much simpler and less painful.
Laser bite correction. Minor issues with your bite can also be corrected with a laser treatment.
Neuromuscular dentistry. A misaligned bite can lead to extreme tension in the jaw muscles and even into the neck and shoulders. Neuromuscular dentistry not only corrects your bite, but can also eliminate habitual tension that might have plagued you for years without your realizing it was related to the condition of your teeth.

A full mouth rejuvenation offers not only a comprehensive makeover for your mouth, but can have far-reaching results for your overall health and well-being. You’ll look and feel younger than ever.

Dr. Michael Chung, DDS, offers full mouth rejuvenation at his Northern Virginia practice. From tooth whitening to neuromuscular dentistry, he has the training and the expertise to completely remake your mouth. If you’re in the Northern Virginia area, please visit the website of Softouch Dental Care for more information about rejuvenating your mouth or to schedule an initial consultation.

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