If there really were a fountain of youth, you could be sure that people would be shoving and tripping over one another to get a sip. If maintaining a youthful appearance is a priority for you, you may want to take a look at your smile. Sure, wrinkles, sagging skin and dark circles under your eyes can make you look older than you’d like to appear. But so can discolored, missing, chipped and crooked teeth. Don’t let something so easily fixable, like your smile, give your age away, or worse, make yourself look older than you really are.
Cosmetic dentist, D. Gordon Rye, D.D.S., of Rye Smiles for Life, has successfully been treating dental dilemmas for nearly three decades. For him, no smile is hopeless. Anyone should be able to obtain the smile they dream of in as little as one or two appointments with their local dentist.
To help you get a better idea of where to start your smile reconstruction, Dr. Rye offers some quick fixes:
- Change your silver fillings: When you open your mouth, do your silver fillings glare back at you? If so, then you can now replace the silver-mercury fillings with white, natural-looking composite fillings. Tooth-colored fillings are stain-resistant and can be matched to the color of the surrounding tooth for a completely natural look. And, not only do they look better than the silver fillings, but they last much longer too.
- Whiten your teeth at home: If your dentist offers an at-home whitening kit, like Dr. Rye does, then take advantage of the opportunity to get whiter teeth while you relax at home. Everyday you fill your custom-fit tray with the provided bleaching paste and wear it for an hour and a half. You continue doing so until you have achieved the level of whiteness you desire, usually in four to six weeks.
- Get your teeth cleaned: Maintaining great oral health is one of the best things you can do for your smile. Regular cleanings from your dentist is one of the best ways to prevent gum disease and tooth decay. And, the health of your teeth and gums can greatly affect your overall health. If left uncared for, infected gums and rotting teeth can put you at greater risk for heart and respiratory disease.
For more dramatic changes, which will require more extensive procedures, Dr. Rye offers the following suggestions:
- Replace missing gaps of teeth: Dentures are custom-made to fit your mouth, face shape, and personality. Your dentists can craft a full set of comfortable and natural-looking dentures if all teeth of your teeth are missing. Now, more than ever, dentures are stable and easy to wear.
- Replace smaller gaps of teeth: Just one missing tooth can set your entire mouth up for decay. Unlike a denture or crown, which can replace only the top of a tooth, a dental implant is used to restore the root of a missing tooth, keeping the surrounding teeth from drifting into the gap. Besides eliminating an older appearance, this will also eliminate headaches and jaw soreness.
- Get straighter teeth: If you have always been self-conscious about your crooked teeth, but the thought of metal braces makes you cringe, then ask your dentist about Invisalign. The nearly undetectable aligners are more comfortable than traditional braces and require fewer dental visits for adjustments.
If you are suffering from a less than perfect smile that is adding years to your appearance, then make sure to ask your dentist which treatments would work best for you.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
