Aging affects your teeth and oral health just like any other part of your body. Dentistry offers techniques to keep patients smiles attractive essentially stopping (or even reversing) the aging process.
The most important part of the bite analysis starts by diagnosis. A comprehensive oral evaluation and occlusal evaluation (bite evaluation) are necessary to determine the causes of the bite collapse.
Usual causes of an aged smile include Loss of posterior dental support due to teeth missing, premature occlusal contacts, interferences in the lateral movements due to clenching/grinding causing severe wear and gum disease.
Once the posterior teeth are not supporting the bite, the forces of mastication may overload the anterior teeth and this results in anterior teeth migration and gaps leading to additional wear of the anterior dentition resulting in an unpleasant smile. Severe lack of posterior support may lead to loss of vertical dimension (bite collapse) and full mouth rehabilitation may be needed.
With the advances of dental technology, it is possible for dentists to envision the final restoration even before it has been fabricated. Multiple techniques are available to replace teeth including dental implants, all porcelain bridges, porcelain restorations (crowns, inlays, onlays) fabricated in office in one visit using CAD/CAM technology.
Teeth positioning is a very important factor in order to achieve a proper smile. Nowadays minimally invasive techniques in cosmetic dentistry such as teeth whitening, veneers (dental laminates) and Invisalign (clear braces) are available to achieve a younger smile.
Regular checkups and professional evaluation is key to the success in achieving a great, healthy, attractive and young smile.
If you need an oral evaluation, please call (305) 857-0990 for an appointment with Dr. Sharp, Dr. Ribeiro.
By: Dr Bruno Sharp and Dr Alexandre Ribeiro.