We are now at a stage where people over the age of sixty outnumber those under sixteen. The numbers of eighty-five-year-olds are predicted to double in the next ten years. So what does a dentist know about ageing well? More than you think…
I trained as a dentist and my years of experience enhancing and treating patients inside the mouth has given me a unique approach to facial aesthetics and what the it can tell me about the way a patient is ageing – and how I can help them to look great for their age. I not only assess patient’s outward appearance before treatment, but carefully consider the inner workings of their facial anatomy, particularly the position of the teeth, jaws, chin and lips before beginning any treatment.
For me, understanding the framework of each individual patients’ face is crucial. The face is a multi-dimensional structure that requires careful and skilful technique when treating, to achieve a harmonious balance. I like to view my patients from every angle, before beginning treatment, including looking into their mouth. The teeth offer a significant supporting structure for a person’s face, they help determine where our facial tissues, such as lips, cheeks as well as chins and jaws are positioned.
As dentists, we spot misaligned teeth, and under and over bites very easily and these are often the underlying concerns that patients are hoping to mask with facial aesthetic treatment. I have grouped these into my ‘Facial Five’ inside mouth considerations which I consider before each facial aesthetic treatment.
- Crowded teeth– crowded teeth, often means that the ‘U’ shape arch of our top and bottom teeth are narrower than is ideal. This in turn can lead to patients displaying outwardly a gaunt appearance, which can be addressed with the use of dermal fillers to add volume to the ‘sucked in’ areas of the mid-face.
- Worn dental enamel or enlarged jaw muscles – if a patient has worn down teeth, they often also present with enlarged jaw muscles. Both can be due to bruxism (grinding the teeth, often at night, often because of stress). An enlarged jaw can affect the overall ‘balance’ of the facial appearance, and can make women look more masculine. This can be remedied with botulinum toxin injections into the jaw to relieve the tension and relax the muscles.
- Receding gums – We’ve all heard the expression, ‘long in the tooth’ and it is true, that when the gums recede, our teeth do appear longer. This is a sign of gum disease and a loss of bone density. When we age and our bones thin, it can affect the appearance of the face, making it look sunken. We can successfully revolumised this with the judicious use of collagen stimulating dermal fillers.
- The shape and size of the teeth-can mean that they protrude andgive people a goofy smile – the judicious use of an HA filler in the lips can help bring about a sense of balance and symmetry to disguise this.
- The shape of the smile – when some people smile they reveal a most of the gums as well as their upper teeth. This is sometimes referred to as a gummy smile. We canrectify this by lowering the lip line with the use of botulinum toxin.
For more information please visit https://skinsouthwest.co.uk
Dr Pradnya Apte qualified as a Dental Surgeon in 1993, but since 2007 she has focused on her passion, facial aesthetics. She originally trained in Harley Street and has continued her training with many of the UK’s leading advanced medical aesthetic experts. She opened her first clinic in Exeter in 2015 and her second clinic in London’s Harley Street opened in June 2019.
