I have news for you: the aging process cannot be reversed. We’ve known it for centuries, but sometimes we need reminding. There’s no way around it: we’re all getting old. But still we find ways to fool ourselves into thinking we can cheat the aging process or slow it down.

Health and cosmetics industries have spent and made billions marketing restoratives that lead us to believe that we’re slowing down aging, and stripping away the signs of age. Our false hope is so strong that products claiming to reverse the aging process are everywhere.

But if anti-aging isn’t really possible, and we haven’t been able to reverse the aging process with any sort of measurable success, then what are we doing?

Every day we come across people who look much older or younger than we think they should. As humans we hold impressions in our subconscious of what makes a person look young or old in terms of the features, colours and shapes of their appearance. These impressions extend to how people dress and conduct themselves, including behaviour and speech.

Fighting Aging… with Dentistry?
Dentistry inserts itself into the aging conundrum in interesting ways. When it comes to our facial appearance, there are certain aspects of a smile that impact whether a person appears older or younger.

Tooth Length
As we get older the collagen in our skin loosens. When this happens the upper lip gets longer and the lower lip shorter, making our teeth look shorter overall, and giving a more aged appearance. Pair this loosening of the skin with other issues like nighttime bruxism (grinding) and our teeth almost invariably get shorter with age. Dentists will often counteract this cosmetically by increasing the amount of tooth structure that displays in a smile or while talking.

Tooth Arrangement
Irregular, tipped or rotated teeth can lead to the lip casting a shadow that makes teeth appear darker. This reads as an aged look, since with time, as we use coloured drinks and foods, our teeth will darken. Treatments like Invisalign, accompanied by bleaching, can help makeover a smile without having to go through more extensive procedures.

Tooth Edges
Tooth edges say a lot about what we’ve been up to with our teeth and for how long. For each of us there is an acceptable amount of tooth wear that happens naturally. However, most of us have habits that accelerate tooth wear, chipping and thinning our teeth. Over time these culminate in teeth that appear more severely worn and aged than normal. Procedures such as bonding or porcelain veneers can effectively correct these symptoms.

Lip Factor
Not everything affecting a smile’s appearance has to do with the teeth and the gums. As discussed earlier, the more teeth that show in a smile, the younger one looks. In most cases, this has everything to do with your lips. The length of the upper lip, and the amount of movement in the muscles also affects a smile’s appearance. Remember: your teeth are the painting and your lips are the frame. Too big a frame on too small a painting, or vice versa, will diminish overall impact.

Smile Assessment
Our office offers smile assessments ahead of any cosmetic dentistry procedure. When we do a smile assessment we take all of the above factors into consideration and discuss them with you. Our goal is getting you to a rejuvenated smile using the most effective and conservative treatments possible. And as with everything in life, there is usually more than one route to success. Procedures have pros and cons that we will discuss with you during your assessment.

To book a smile assessment please call or email the office, or speak to a member of our team when you’re next in.

Hover over Example A, Example B, Example C, and Example D to see a smile rejuvenation for our patient. You can see some of the above factors playing a role in this new smile design.