If you are considering facial rejuvenation with dental treatment, you might wonder how much younger you could look as a result of cosmetic dentistry. Because age is a subjective phenomenon, it can be hard to tell. However, rejuvenation dentistry attacks these common signs of facial aging and could dramatically reduce your perceived age.
Discolored Teeth Make a Big Difference
One of the best-documented symptoms of aging that people will hold against you is discolored teeth. Informal studies show that discolored teeth alone can make you look 5-12 years older. The darker your discolored teeth, the older you will look, and the younger you are, the greater the perceived difference in your age.
It should be noted that both men and women are aged by discolored teeth. Sometimes teeth whitening can help with this, but other times more powerful approaches are needed.
Double Chin
There is no doubt that a double chin can make you look older. But how much older isn’t well documented. For some people, a double chin is the product of excess fat under the chin, but for many others, it’s the result of a loss of support from teeth. This causes the jaw to move so that the unsupported skin and fat under the chin hangs loose and folds in on itself.
If you are in the latter group, dental rejuvenation can restore lost support and reduce the appearance of your double chin.
Facial Folds and Wrinkles
Facial folds and wrinkles are often thought to be the domain of surgery and/or injectables. But the truth is that these folds are often related to worn (and lost) teeth. Skin can sag with age, but the mouth can also lose volume, causing the skin to fold around the mouth and nose or between the mouth and chin.
Jowls
Jowls are often thought to occur when the cheek fat pads descend below the jawline. But it’s often that the jawline is moving up to meet the cheek fat pads. As teeth get worn down and lost, the jaw often moves upward, causing the appearance that the cheeks are sinking.
By restoring the jaw line to its youthful position, rejuvenation dentistry can reduce the appearance of jowls by restoring the proper relation between cheeks and jawline.
Thin Lips
Among the facial features, the lips are one of the strongest predictors of perceived age. Thin lips are independently associated with greater perceived age.
Thin lips are also one of the most common effects of naturally small or worn teeth. Without teeth to create space for them, the lips can become compressed and condensed, making them thinner at any age. But by giving the teeth adequate height, we can also restore height to your lips.
How Much Younger Can You Look?
As you can see, rejuvenation dentistry can do a lot for your appearance, helping you to look much younger. How much younger is hard to say in the abstract, but during your consultation we can talk about the factors that influence your perceived age and how we can reduce them. We may not be able to put a specific number on your rejuvenation, but you will be happy with the results.
To talk to us about how rejuvenation dentistry in St. Louis can help you look younger, please call (314) 678-7876 today for an appointment with cosmetic dentist Dr. Chris Hill at City Smiles.
