Is your smile ageing you?

Without saying a word, your smile can convey a friendly personality and create a lasting first impression. In fact, a study has showed that smiling makes you look younger!

But are you noticing your smile has changed over the years? More cracks, chips, stains and other changes to your teeth and lips that are beginning to bother you. Do you smile as much as you used to?

We take a look at the primary features of your smile and even some solutions to help you smile again.

With a couple adjustments – a dental mini-lift – your smile will look brighter. Sometimes it can just be a matter of better dental hygiene but in some cases you may need to consult your dentist. Just be sure to have a clear idea of a budget before going for your appointment.

1. Teeth are one of the most noticeable features of your smile.

Shifting position

• Teeth find a way to shift position and change angle so, as you get older and your teeth move inward, which means you lose support to your lips and cheeks. This movement of your teeth can give you a more hollow and gaunt appearance. There are two options: braces or veneers. Luckily there are ‘invisible’ braces now so you won’t have a mouth filled with metal and it still works to move your teeth back into position. Or, if you’re seriously unhappy with the appearance of your teeth, you can invest in porcelain veneers. The added bonus to this that the veneers will add support to your facial tissue.

Changing colour & cracking teeth

• Another issue that begins to occur with you teeth is thinning enamel, which can cause fine cracks on the surface of your teeth and discolouration. Food can then get trapped in these cracks so your teeth will appear darker and stained. Again you can consider getting veneers, bleaching, bonding or even crowns to cover the cracks. Also, you may just need to re-invest in your crowns or fillings because they have darkened or discoloured over time  – that is normal. Just like real enamel, your dental work needs attention and care to maintain.

2. Take proper care of your gums.

It’s important to regularly practice good dental hygiene to ensure gum health. Most people don’t realise the importance of taking care of your gums, as well as, your teeth. Gum disease is an infection of the gum tissue and bone that supports your teeth, which can then lead to tooth loss.

• Brush twice a day. Although decay in any area of the tooth, when you get older, decay is more likely to develop around old fillings. Visit your dentist regularly so he/she can keep an eye on these vulnerable areas.
• Floss daily. Flossing will keep your gums strong and prevent plaque build-up.
• Eat nutritious food. What you eat can help your teeth and gums fight bacteria and inflammation.
• Keep up with dentist visits. Although it is an expensive maintenance, there is research that suggests that health of your mouth actually impacts the condition of your body as a whole.
• Quit smoking. Smoking increases your risk of oral cancer, as well as, increases your risk of gum disease and health loss. Oral cancer often occurs in people over 40 years old.

3. Your lips are also changing and impact your smile. 

Thinning lips

• As you age, we lose dental structural support and experience volume loss in the soft tissues of our face, specifically in the lips. Our lips become less full. This process is called soft tissue atrophy. The areas become less plump and then wrinkle more easily – the ‘mouth frown’ develops. That’s why lip pencils and lipstick are so popular with ageing ladies. And growing in popularity is lip enhancement. The produces are not invasive and don’t require a lot of recovery time.

Tell us, are you experiencing problems with your smile? What have you done about it? Have you embraced your ageing smile?