Anti-Aging is something of a buzzword in today’s marketplace: the medical community, the marketing community and nearly every community in between seems to have been captured by this craze. What exactly is anti-aging? The concept is to reduce the visual signs of a person’s age to make one appear younger, more vibrant and more beautiful. While there are a range of methods and procedures available to the public to accomplish anti-aging, the patient themselves must be willing to make changes to his or her lifestyle in order to sustain the changes provided by his or her physician.
I recently attended the 5th European Congress in Aesthetic Dermatology and Surgery in Anti-Aging Medicine, hosted by the European Masters in Aesthetic & Anti-Aging Medicine (or EMAA) in Paris, France. The conference focused on a plethora of anti-aging information and news in the field, but what I found interesting were the procedures tailored toward dental medicine. Botox, or Botulinum toxin, is a neurotoxic protein that is in fact one of the most poisonous substances known to man! Despite the dramatic definition, the use of very small amounts of this toxin to treat muscle spasms in anti-aging medicine is widespread. Botox relaxes muscle spasms in a way that can reduce wrinkles, by training specific muscle groups to relax and lower tension. Botox effects wear off between three and six months, and will need to be re-administered to maintain results.
From the dental aspect, Botox can be used to control a gummy smile. Botox relaxes the muscles in a person’s upper lip – known as hyperactive upper lip – which contributes to a gummy smile. When Botox is injected into the muscle group in a person’s lip, the toxin actually relaxes the muscles and restricts the muscle’s ability to overly contract upward thus showing excessive gum tissue . Botox can also be used to control facial muscle spasms that contribute not only to wrinkles and frown lines, but to headaches as well. By undergoing Botox therapy, the muscles in the lips and face can be trained to eventually relax on their own.
Although Botox may sound like a miracle drug for reducing the appearance of gummy smiles, fine lines and even headaches, one must remember that any anti-aging treatment plan is dual-fold: the patient must be committed to their health in order to achieve long-lasting results. Patient compliance is key in any medical treatment plan, but when it comes to anti-aging, a healthy lifestyle can make all the difference in the world. Diet is one of the most important factors in patient compliance. Everyone has heard the age-old saying “you are what you eat,” – it is absolutely true.
A patient who is concerned with his or her physical health and appearance – and is willing to go through Botox therapy to achieve anti-aging results – must realize that his or her diet is vital to achieving long-lasting results. Vegetables, lean proteins and minerals are all vital in achieving healthy skin, bones and organ function. A poor diet high in refined sugars, fat and carbohydrates with poor habits (like alcohol consumption and smoking, staying up late and no exercise) all will contribute to a faster aging process. We all wishto be young and healthy forever – it all starts with healthy choices.
When you smile, the corners of the mouth upturn, eyes begin twinkling and positive emotion radiates. A person’s smile is a pleasant, agreeable part of their appearance and facial characteristics; a person’s smile is the window to their heart!
Dental components like teeth and gum do play an important role in a smile. In today’s society, if a person’s dental components are not healthy or if they do not look right, most will feel far less confident to smile. As cosmetic dentistry has come into a heavier demand in recent years, smile design has become a term used for various clinical treatment plans and for aesthetic improvement. This means smile design: projecting an enhanced smile through alteration of dental components as a practice of cosmetic dentistry. This is a type of comprehensive oral care that combines art and science to greatly improve the aesthetic appearance of the smile, as well as its health and function.
Proper smile design starts with a facial analysis, when the line between the pupils and the horizontal line from the connecting edges of your upper teeth (smile line) are [hopefully] in parallel harmony; the smile line should also harmonize with the upper curvature of the lower lip. Then we evaluate the color, size and alignment of the dental compound, whether it is somewhat in the right places and proportional in relation with the face.
Some of the most common cosmetic procedures include tooth bleaching (or whitening) which enhances the color appearance of your teeth, bonding and veneers or porcelain crowns(which can enhance the outward appearance of a tooth’s color or shape), and gum work (like a gingival plasty, gum contouring or crown lengthening) to harmonize with teeth. Straightening of teeth through adult orthodontics are also a part of cosmetic smile design – not only for improvement of the smile, but to set up a healthier foundation for other cosmetic procedures (or simply to make the mouth easier to clean and maintain).
Laser dentistry is very complimentary to cosmetic dentistry. Laser smile design not only makes common procedures like teeth whitening and gum contouring quick and painless, but because of the laser’s highly focused energy path, very little tissue around the site is disturbed. Procedures are very non-invasive.
Ultimately, cosmetic dentistry and laser smile design could be a great investment if you are not comfortable with your smile or the condition of your teeth (especially if they are worn or broken down, requiring rehablitation or reconstruction). Once you present a confident and happy smile, people will smile back at you and many windows and opportunity will open! Give thought to whether it’s time to have a smile analysis and smile design performed by your dental professional. If you need to find out more about cosmetic dentistry, www.aacd.com can be a referral source.
Do you have a gummy smile? Do your teeth appear too small, or there is too much gum showing? Aesthetic crown lengthening is a procedure which could improve your smile if you selectively decide to change the proportion of your teeth and gum.
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Your teeth are secured to your jaw via root structures that extend from the teeth into jaw bone. This bone is protected by the gums, which extends down over the top of the tooth root structure. Excess gum tissue poses no health risk, but can be unsightly and make your teeth look tiny or not as harmony with your face. Aesthetic crown lengthening remedies this condition by trimming away excess gum (and in some cases bone), reducing the amount of display of gum and lengthening the visible crown of the tooth. Gingival (gum) contouring (like a gingival plasty or soft tissue crown lengthening) refers to trimming of the gum tissue only. Most crown lengthenings refer to the recontouring of both the gum and supporting bone (osseous crown lengthening), when there is more length of the tooth is desired.
Traditionally, crown lengthening is performed with scalpel and mechanical rotary tool which trim and flap open the gum also trim away some bone tissue. This mechanical force results unfavorable inflammatory response of the periodontal tissues and taking up to 8 weeks to heal. The tissue must fully heal before restorations can take place. This procedure is often daunting to many patients!
Thankfully, new technology in the laser dentistry field has made aesthetic crown lengthening much easier and less invasive. By using a small fiber optic tip, laser energy can be manipulated to trim or ablate away tissues , disturbing the surrounding environment much less than traditional mechanical rotary instruments. The less invasive procedure means less pain, quicker healing and less trauma. The body does not react violently to laser treatment as it does blunt mechanical treatment!and often time the restorative work can be initiate quickly or even at the same visit. In some cases, crown lengthening alone can get you desirable bigger smile,but often time , the restorative work like bonding, veneers or crowns are called for the needed improvement or protection on dental structure.
When gingival contouring or crown lengthening is performed – but left with a compromised biological width (2 to 3mm is necessary for safe formation of a protective zone from the gum border to the bone) - gum tissue will stay inflammed and grow back after several months. It is important to have an experienced dental professional for proper diagnosis before getting your gum trimmed. Find a dental professional who been properly trained using lasers for a more comfortable surgical experience (www. Laserdentistry.org). The design of the smile and the shaping of the gum line both need an aesthetic touch (apart from solid surgical technique), so it is equally important for the dental professional have aesthetic background to assure the best aesthetic result (www. aacd.com).
“Does it hurt? How long will it last? How long will it take? How much does it cost?”
These are common questions from patients looking for cosmetic dentistry.
If you’re interested in cosmetic dentistry to get yourself a winning smile, whether the problem is mis-alignment, cracked or chipping teeth, unsightly spacing, uneven or dark colored dentition, uneven or too much (or not enough) smile showing, or even gum erosion, the eternal question always arises: What would be the best solution?
In the past, crowns were the primary choice for masking tooth problems, but since the late 1980s, cosmetic dentistry has offered both bonding and veneers to improve your smile. This leads to the eternal question: “Bonding or veneers?”
Dental bonding involves the application of a durable composite material directly to the surface of the tooth, by your dentist, which is then sculpted and artistically shaped to the exact look the patient desires, to blend naturally and seamlessly with the patient’s existing teeth. A laser (or high intensity light) is then used to cure the composite material, hardening and reinforcing it to the surface of the tooth. This bonding technique has many applications, not only for aesthetic uses but also for prosthodontics and pediatric dentistry. The advantages to dental bonding are a quick treatment time (can be completed in one office visit after a consultation), and a relatively low cost per tooth when compared with porcelain veneers. Durability of bonding will be affected by the oral environment. Since composite bonding is a mixture of quartz particle (70% – 80% filled) and resin, discoloration and breakage is inevitable if your mouth has a high acidic pH value (if you are a soda drinker, lemon lover or candy sucker), if the bonding was not supported by a solid tooth structure, or if you are a night grinder.
Porcelain veneers are fabricated in the laboratory. They are 100% filled with hard mineral particles, and are fired at a high temperature with a vacuum (to procure the best physical properties to sustain the veneer’s strength in the harsh oral environment). Compared to bonding, there is more procedural work involved with porcelain veneers. There are different techniques to fabricate the veneer pieces (which call for different methods of preparation for the tooth); the pressing technique produces a stronger veneer, but requires 0.8mm thickness of the veneer. The porcelain powder build-up technique can produce super thin veneers (0.3mm), which produces a very conservative look on your tooth structure, while at the same time keeping a natural silhouette. The veneer piece lays on top of the tooth structure and is similar to a press-on nail. They chemically adhere to the tooth with bonding composite cement; since porcelain is acid resistant and stronger in physical properties than composite material, this restoration provides long-term service. When getting the veneers, the first visit consists of preparation and imprints f the teeth (which might involve anesthetic). After this, you will leave the office with temporary veneers which look like natural teeth. A wafer-thin veneer is then crafted out of porcelain which is seamlessly cemented to the front side of the tooth on the second visit. In addition to straightening teeth, porcelain veneers can close gaps between teeth, whiten teeth that do not respond well to bleaching, and can also be used to protect damaged tooth surfaces. The advantages to porcelain veneers over bonding is that veneers are much longer lasting (and stronger) than composite bonding material.
Whether you decide to invest in dental bonding or porcelain veneers, make sure you have all work done at a reputable dentist, preferably at a practice which has its own in-house ceramic lab. When ceramic work is done by an in-house lab with an in-house ceramist, any changes that need to be made to the length or color of the veneers can be done without requiring an additional office visit. Remember, the result of the cosmetic procedures are truly varied depending on the ability of the dentist, ceramist, your clinical situation and the communication between all parties involved. Do your research!
Both bonding and veneers are additive procedures, depending on the position, alignment and shape of your teeth, which is the foundation for any new restorations. This foundation will need to be in the right fundamental situation to receive restorations to result in a fabulous smile. In other words, sometimes, you do not need to do much to your own teeth before applying cosmetic restorations. It might be necessary to reduce or modify the tooth structure before anything can be added onto it to make it look perfect.
There is some risk involved with cosmetic bonding or veneers, so be cautious with any cosmetic procedure. A comprehensive evaluation of your present dental condition is absolutely necessary as a first step; blue prints of your teeth and of your prospective dental project are needed to establish clear verbal communication between all parties involved (including you), including possible mock-up or wax-up models to preview possible changes, which could avoid costly mistakes.
Do your homework: finding the right dental professional, discussing every aspect of your dental needs, understanding the pros and cons of each procedure, and making an educated decision will ensure you get the smile you’ve always wanted.
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