Okemos, Lansing, East Lansing MI
What is smile rejuvenation?
“Rejuvenation” ultimately comes from the Latin words re-(“again”) + juvenis (“young”), and it literally means just that: making the smile look young again. Basically, smile rejuvenation is a set of procedures whose ultimate outcome is to beautify the smile. While these procedures are all cosmetic in nature, they may not be only cosmetic in purpose: orthodontia, for instance, can be a part of smile rejuvenation but can have many other oral health benefits, as can the application of implants, crowns, and veneers.
What are some signs that smile rejuvenation may be right for you?
Discolored teeth
Teeth are white because of enamel: the hard, outer shell of a tooth. Enamel is translucent, which means that as it wears and gets thinner, it can allow the yellow color of the dentin underneath to show through. Insufficient dental hygiene can contribute to this thinning, as can age, which is why yellowing teeth look less youthful than white ones. Furthermore, enamel can be stained by nicotine, coffee, and tea, which essentially makes the smile look older.
People with discolored teeth might consider rejuvenation dentistry, which can brighten teeth through whitening treatments or the application of crowns and veneers.
Missing teeth
Dentists will recommend replacing missing teeth for a variety of reasons, including concern about decay and periodontal disease, keeping the bite from shifting and protecting the jaw from bone loss. Since missing teeth are a hallmark of old age, dentists can also replace missing teeth for cosmetic purposes. Implants or dental bridges can help with oral health issues and simultaneously return some youth to a smile.
Worn Teeth
Over time, constant use of the teeth can cause them to become worn. Bruxism – tooth grinding – can also contribute to this. Because worn teeth are associated with age, they can age the smile, whether the wearing comes from age or from bruxism.
Smile rejuvenation can use veneers to whiten the teeth and restore their shape and positioning. This will enhance their appearance and make the smile appear more youthful and attractive.
Additional benefits – wrinkles in lip and mouth
Worn and missing teeth not only affect the smile but can have consequences for the face and mouth, too. In the case of worn teeth, for example, the reduced size of teeth forces the lips and skin to work harder to close the mouth, and your lips and skin around your mouth have to compress and fold more to close. This can lead to lines and wrinkles (so-called lipstick lines) around the mouth and nasolabial folds (also known as laugh lines). Missing teeth can cause the facial area around the missing tooth to appear sunken.
Smile rejuvenation can help with these issues, making the mouth appear younger and fuller.
Additional benefits – jowls
Jowls are loose, hanging skin at the jawline. The usual medical explanation for this is that skin in the cheeks and below the jawline loses much of its collagen (a connective tissue) and elastin (a protein that lets the skin return to its normal shape after being stretched). This essentially causes the cheek to no longer be able to fight gravity and stay in position, so it sinks.
However, there is an additional cause for jowls, which is missing or worn teeth. These can lessen the space between the upper and lower jaws, effectively bringing the lower jaw up to meet the sinking cheeks, so not only can the cheek not resist gravity, it has lower space to sink.
Restored teeth can help with this by setting the jaw back to its normal position. Jowls will be reduced and possibly even eliminated by such procedures.
Additional benefits – change in profile and face
Worn teeth can cause a rounder-appearing face. As the jawline rises, it may also be set further back, which can cause the appearance of a receding chin. Furthermore, since the jaw is higher, the skin that used to cover where it was has nothing behind it. If it, too, has lost collagen and elastin, it will lack the ability to retighten itself, which can leave skin hanging under the neck. This can make the face seem rounder and alter the profile.
Smile rejuvenation will set everything back to its original position, tightening the skin, elongating the chin, and reducing the roundness of the face.
For more than 25 years, Dr. Christine Tenaglia has served the Okemos area, offering a wide range of dental services, including smile rejuvenation procedures like veneers and tooth-whitening. To find out more about smile rejuvenation, call her at (517) 940-8684 or make an appointment online today.