Your smile is one of the features that keeps you looking healthy and strong, but time can take its toll on how you look when you smile unless you take care of yourself. However, with the right actions and care, you can make an aging mouth full and bright again. Proper nutrition, proper dental care, and proper dental devices can all help restore your smile.
Get Enough Nutrition
As you get older, your nutrition needs change. Sometimes, you need less of a nutrient, such as iron (post-menopausal women need less iron than pre-menopausal women, for example). Other times, you may need more instead. Your metabolism can also change and make your diet requirements more nutrient-dense because you can't burn as many calories as you could before. By ensuring that you get the right amount of nutrients and eat a diet that is full of fiber and other good stuff, rather than full of empty calories like sugar, you can help keep your skin and teeth in better shape as you age.
Remember Basic Dental Care
The basic routine of brushing, flossing, and (if you want) using mouthwash goes a long way toward keeping those teeth in good shape, too. Some people do have better dental luck than others, of course, but overall, if you brush and floss regularly, you can really stave off a lot of damage to your teeth and gums. Also pay attention to any clenching or tooth grinding you might be doing in your sleep. If you wake up with a sore jaw every morning, that's a sign you've got some tension action happening with your teeth when you sleep, and that needs to be checked out. If you leave your mouth alone and continue to clench or grind, you could wear down your teeth.
If your teeth become worn, your lower and upper jaws would have to move even more to close fully, giving your face an oddly smushed look that is reminiscent of people with no teeth.
Don't Ignore the Need for Implants
If you have missing teeth, especially molars, your cheeks can cave in because those molars aren't there to support the skin in your cheeks. The same effect can occur if you have worn molars that have moved out of alignment. Getting dental implants in place of using dentures is vital for keeping those teeth in place and keeping your cheeks from caving in. Remember, you don't wear dentures all the time, so your teeth have a chance to move around slightly every time you remove the dentures.
Add Veneers to Fill out Your Face
Finally, see about having veneers added to your non-implant teeth. Veneers can fill out worn teeth and cover up stained teeth that are beyond the help of whitening treatments. The veneers can make your teeth look more even, too. For a better result, have the veneers and implants added by the same dentist to ensure they match in size. Having a full, bright, even smile can help you look younger.
Your dentist can give you more information on avoiding looking older than you are by taking care of your teeth. Anti-aging strategies involving dental care are becoming more common, and you should be able to devise a plan that will improve your smile quickly.
For more information, contact Dr. Mahnaz Rashti or a similar dental professional.
Share30 September 2016
The average dentist takes many client appointments each day and also deals with emergency situations on a regular basis. Dental emergencies are very common because people are likely to put off having tooth pain fixed until the pain becomes unbearable. Some people have anxiety about dental visits, and others are trying to avoid the expense of dental care. In either case, the end result is often a dental emergency. I have worked as a professional dental hygienist for many years and have seen all types of dental emergencies. I hope that this blog will help people identify potential emergencies before they become too serious and will allow people to know when to get help.
