By Mary Ann Cole
Although most people’s faces and bodies add a few flaws as the years go
on, everyone has a feature she hasn’t liked since childhood — ears that stick
out, a crooked nose, short legs, whatever.
But there’s one flaw that can actually change your personality, and that’s the
smile you’re ashamed to show. With a smile you don’t like, over time you may
have trained yourself, perhaps without even realizing it, not to smile or laugh as
often. That changes your personality as others — and even as you — see it.
Fixing your smile is not just a matter of wanting to look better. Research conducted
in 2006 by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) showed photographs
of people needing cosmetic dental work — although none had catastrophically bad teeth
or missing teeth — to a group of research participants. Another group of participants
saw the exact same photographs with the teeth touched up.
Participants were not told anything about the photographs they were viewing and were
asked to rate the people in the photographs on several characteristics. Those who saw the “after” photograph consistently rated the person in the photograph higher in all characteristics.
The 13-percent higher rating in attractiveness should be no surprise, but they
were also rated 6 percent higher in intelligence, 9 percent higher in career success and
even 4 percent higher in kindness. [See page 14.]
Cosmetic dentistry continues to make incremental improvements as it grows in popularity.
For at least the past 10 years, there have been a bevy of options readily available to anyone
trying to improve a smile — from tooth veneers that involve permanently removing some of the tooth enamel to
titanium dental implants that replace missing teeth. A good deal of emphasis is placed, however, on procedures that
allow you to improve your smile while keeping your own teeth intact.
Whitening
The American Association of Cosmetic Dentistry 2006 consumer poll showed that, to no one’s surprise, the most
requested dental cosmetic procedure is whitening. But did you know that some foods can help keep your teeth bright?
Strawberries, lemons and baking soda are all natural whiteners, and raw veggies will help remove surface stains. Chewing
sugarless gum will also stimulate saliva to clean tooth surfaces.
Once you’ve spent the time and money to whiten your teeth through at-home or the faster (but more expensive) treatments
available in the dentist’s office, keep them bright by staying away from blueberries, chocolate and dark liquids,
like coffee, colas and red wine — or use a straw. If you can’t really see yourself using a straw while drinking red wine
at a restaurant (or avoiding those great antioxidant blueberries), bring along a swig of whitening rinse and use it each
time you head for the restroom.
San Antonio dentist Dr. Bart Nichols observes that “bleaching systems have evolved somewhat, but the most common
active component is still carbamide peroxide. Gels tend to be more stable now, to have a longer shelf life and to be more effective” (requiring seven to 14
home sessions versus 25 a few years ago).
But can there be too much of a good
thing? Yes, says Dr. Nichols: “Over-bleaching
can make your teeth look a little blue as
you bleach out the light-colored pigment
and your teeth become translucent, revealing
their darker interior. Those who are used
to using over-the-counter bleaching treatments,
which have about 5-percent carbamide
perioxide, can get carried away
when they use a product dentists dispense
for the patients to take home, which is usually
10 to 22 percent.”
Orthodontics
Many dentists are recommending orthodontics,
even for patients over age 50, as
nothing a cosmetic dentist can do can compare
with the biocompatibility of your natural
teeth. Older people who had a pretty
smile as a younger person may find their
teeth have discolored and changed shape
or position from wear.
As we age, our teeth not only wear
down, but they often move a bit back up
into their sockets, so they look shorter —
especially if you tend to grind or clench
your teeth. This results in a change to the
shape of the face, where the distance between
the chin and the nose decreases.
(Remember Popeye, whose nose practically
touches his chin?) If you measure the
distance between the tip of your nose and
the tip of your chin at age 20 and age 50,
it’s common to have lost 2 to 5 millimeters
of your face length.
In that case, there’s less space for
crowns or veneers. So instead of just slamming
a bunch of crowns on people’s teeth,
a more natural approach is to use orthodontics
to move the teeth, open the bite again
and get back to the more youthful relationship
of the upper and lower arch, then think
about whether crowns or veneers are
needed to increase tooth length.
With this kind of orthodontics, teeth will
look better, but they’ll also be better in
terms of function. It can also help some
TMJ problems, which can be increased
when the bite closes.
Changes in gum line
Another way to improve your smile
while keeping your teeth intact is to deal
with the gum line. We tend to think of
smiles as being composed only of lips and
teeth, but smiles that show too much gum
or uneven gum lines can also be less attractive
than a smile without those flaws. Those
of us of a certain age remember the“horsey” smile of Carol Burnett before her
jaw and gum surgery, which was largely to
correct the excessive exposure of her gums
in her otherwise great smile.
Dr. Nichols describes the most common
architecture of a beautiful smile: “You see
no lower teeth, the bottom edge of the
upper teeth lightly touches the lower lip,
and the lower edge of the upper lip just covers
the gum line. The lower lip curves up a
bit and the lower edge of the upper teeth
follows that curve.”
An uneven gum line can make your
teeth look like they’re different lengths when
they’re really not, and a smile that shows
too much gum can make your teeth look
short. A laser is used to remove excess gum;
it results in no bleeding and very little discomfort.
If taking a laser to your gums
sounds a little scary, Nicolas Davis, president
of the American Academy of Cosmetic
Dentistry, says lifting the gums to lengthen
the teeth or even the gum line “is a one-or -
two - Advil treatment.”
However, some cases require more
complex treatment, such as reducing the
bone at the front of the root to keep the
gum from growing back or relaxing the
connections to the upper lip so the lip covers
more of the gum. And some teeth don’t
lend themselves to the procedure at all,
such as those whose roots are too skinny,
tapered or short, where reducing the supportive
gum tissue could also reduce the
strength of the tooth.
Choosing a cosmetic dentist
If you’re considering any kind of cosmetic
dentistry, choose your dentist carefully.
Look at before-and-after pictures of
procedures done by the dentist you’re considering,
not just “sample” pictures of procedures
that could have been done by anyone.
Get references from a dental specialist — an endodontist, periodontist or orthodontist — or from friends. Ask about recent
continuing education courses the dentist
has taken in cosmetic dentistry to ensure
he or she is up to date with current procedures.
And talk to more than one practitioner
about what you want and the cost
before deciding whom to trust with your
teeth, your smile — and your wallet.
