Some young adults are
concerned that their teeth are not flat and straight across. They feel
the canines too pointy too vampire like. Often in our practice
patients want these teeth smoothed down. That, however, is the wrong
thing to do. It just accelerates the aging process. The upper canines
appear sharp and too pointy because they are too far forward. To
correct the vampire look it is best handled with braces.
As we get older our bite closes down, our lips flatten out, and for
some there is a stressed appearance. The teeth are worn straight
across and dentin becomes exposed. The exposed dentin sucks up stain.
Thermal cycling (hot and cold foods) create vertical fractures in the
teeth and become stained.
Cosmetic Dental
Care Orthodontics
for Adults
To view how the teeth looked like before we treated with braces click
image.
Do an orthodontic evaluation of yourself. Orthodontics involves more
than straight teeth. It involves the bones and face. It is about an
attractive profile, creating pleasing symmetry and a well developed
lower face height.
- Do your teeth stick
out more than you would like? Top teeth ideally overlap the bottom
teeth and are ahead of the lower teeth by 1 or 2 mm.
- Do your teeth stick
out more than you would like? Top teeth ideally overlap the bottom
teeth and are ahead of the lower teeth by 1 or 2 mm.
- When you look at
your whole face does it appear symmetrical? While it is rare to
have a completely symmetrical face the more symmetrical the more
attractive.
- How do you look in
profile? Does the chin stick out too much or not enough? If you
are a man are you wearing a beard? Many men grow beards to mask a
"weak" chin.
- Do you have a
double chin? It can be due to a short neck not just overweight.
- From a side view can you see your lips or are
they retruded? Lips are meant to be slightly protrusive. As we age
our chin and nose continues to grow and it appears as if our mouths
have sunk in. That is why extracting teeth in a none protrusive
smile might best be avoided. When you smile do you show a lot of
teeth? That is to ask do you have a broad smile or is it narrow?
Does it appear dark along the inside of the cheeks?
- If you look at
your upper arch, does it appear nice and round or V shaped
- Do you have a cross
bite. That is when the bottom teeth stick out from beneath the
uppers.
- Does your overall face appear long, medium or
short? Short faces are indicative of northern Europeans. The problem
with short faces is that they allow the powerful masseter muscles
to wear down and over close the bite.
- When you bite does
all of your teeth come together? In an open bite just the back
teeth touch.
- Again from a side
view does your lower lip roll downward an indication of over
closure and aging.
- Is there a cross
bite?
Modern ways to improve your smile include orthognathic surgery, orthodontics
alone, and for some cases where there is not enough chin or a double
chin a specialized removable bite appliance can be used that is a substitute
for expensive surgery.
Before. Kelly our wonderful patient wanted a great smile for her wedding.
Here is how crooked crowded her teeth looked:
 
After we treated Kelly with tooth colored braces and NO extractions:
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