You might be focusing on losing your belly fat to be more attractive, but getting a good smile should be your primary concern if you don’t have one already. In a recent survey, it was discovered that men are very conscious about some things that don’t matter to women. Most women actually preferred a little extra weight because it symbolizes security. But, a bad smile was hard to look beyond.
A survey done by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry found that 74% of American adults believe an unattractive smile can harm a person’s chances of career success. People see your smile or teeth as the first or second thing they notice when they look at you. And, as you age, even a smile that was naturally attractive can require some updating to stay attractive and to ensure that you keep it well into your older years.
Aging and Your Smile
Dr. Peter J. Pagano, author of the upcoming book Ageless Smile: What You Need to Know About Midlife Dentistry, describes some common signs of aging that can be reversed with “Midlife Dentistry.” This is not a recognized specialty of the ADA, but a set of symptoms and dental procedures that Dr. Pagano has found common to men and women at midlife.
As you age, your teeth begin get shorter, like tread on tires. Your nose begins to get closer to your chin but is usually not perceptible until sufficient wear causes a collapsed look in the mouth area. Midlife Dentistry often involves building the teeth back to their original height with cosmetic dental procedures. This not only improves your appearance, but can decompress jaw joints that could be causing pain in the head, neck and jaw.
“Dentistry is really engineering on a micro level,” says Dr. Pagano. He explains how just a few millimeters of change in the height of your teeth can throw off the position of your jaw joints over time. When these aren’t balanced as part of dental work, the result can be a smile that is not comfortable to chew with or worse, is causing pain.
It’s not just missing or cracked teeth or a yellowed smile that are the signs of age. According to Dr. Pagano, you can be experiencing pain that’s stemming from a dental condition. If you’ve consulted several doctors about head or neck pain and still have no relief, Dr. Pagano recommends finding a dentist who takes a “whole body” or orthopedic approach to dentistry.
And, if you want to update an aging smile with procedures like dental implants and crowns, realize that advertisements of getting implants in a day are not right for many people. If you already are experiencing head pain, you want to make sure your cosmetic dentistry is done by someone who takes an orthopedic approach.
