Age Giveway 3 Late-onset crowding
Patients
in their 40s often complain that their bottom teeth are crowding, even if
they’ve been straight all their lives. This can be because the lip muscle
shortens, causing the arch of the bottom teeth to narrow, leaving teeth more
bunched up, or the loss of back teeth or because teeth can move forward with
age.
Solution A permanent retainer is a strip of wire that can be bonded behind the
lower incisors to stop further movement. But to make teeth straight again,
you’ll need a brace. There are many new options on offer. For minimal crowding
on the bottom teeth, the new custom-fitted, removable aligners such as Inman
Aligner, ClearStep and Invisalign are clear and work like a brace in six to 11
months, but teeth may re-crowd again and you might need to wear one at night
indefinitely. For severely crooked or rotating teeth, Incognito is a system of
new orthodontics consisting of super-thin, gold-cast braces that are fitted
behind teeth to straighten them in between nine and 18 months.
COST Permanent retainers start from $390; from $1,950 for aligners
(inmanaligner.com. clearstep.co.uk, invisalign.co.uk), and $11,050 for
gold-cast braces (hiddenbraces.co.uk)
Age Giveway 4 Gum recession
Regularly you take care to stay well so
you must do the same with your teeth
Between
35 and 44, 80 per cent of us show signs of gum disease, which increases with
age and is made worse by smoking and stress. Left unchecked, it causes receding
gums, which can often show up in your forties. Telltale early signs are
bleeding during brushing, gum abscesses, dark gaps at the sides of teeth and
tooth loosening. Receding gums can also be caused by years of overenthusiastic
brushing.
Solution Your “periodontal pockets” are the depth between each tooth and its
surrounding gum tissue and indicate how quickly gum tissue is wearing. If
you’re high risk, hygiene treatments every three months may help. For inflamed
gum disease, your dentist may recommend a topical chlorhexidine gel or
mouthwash (eg Corsodyl). Forget gimmicky toothbrushes and opt for a small, flat
head used in tidy, circular motions of the fingers and wrist. Severe cases can
be helped with surgical and regeneration techniques by a gum specialist (a
periodontist). If it’s minor – less than 4mm between the top of tooth and the
gum – the gap can be closed by bonding (see left). Find a gum specialist in
your area through the General Dental Council’s specialist register at
gdc-uk.org.
COST From $260 per tooth for surgery and $125 to $325 for bonding.
Age Giveway 5 Smile narrowing
From
our late twenties, the upper jaw and teeth can move inwards towards the tongue,
or the cheeks can hollow, leaving a shadow at the sides of the mouth, making
your smile look narrower.
But
most celebrities show no sign of this, probably thanks to subtle dental work.
Narrow-looking smiles can also be caused by large, old amalgam fillings that
show through enamel, leaving a shadow-like effect at the sides of your smile.
Solution Smile widening is one of the most effective ways of refreshing your
smile. It can be done by applying bonding over the side teeth and building this
up slightly thicker at the edges of the mouth. This can be mocked up on the
patient to see what the results will be. Removing old amalgam fillings by
drilling can upset the teeth, so I prefer to apply white bonding over the area.
If the teeth are worn down, a thicker crown can be placed at the side teeth to
widen the smile.
COST Bonding costs from $125 to $325 per tooth; crowns from $645 per
tooth.
Dr
Syron can be contacted at Millbank Dental Care, Call (022) 7828 7676;
dentistsw1.co.uk w&h
Kerry Davies, 44, is a hospital receptionist who lives in
Market Harborough with her husband Anthony and two daughters. She had bleaching
and bonding treatment with Dr Syron in summer 2011.
“My new smile has taken five years off
me”
“For
most of my adult life I never smiled with my teeth. They were uneven, chipped
and yellow. I had tried home whitening treatments, but nothing worked. I had a
dentist phobia, though, so I loved the idea that bonding and bleaching were
pain-free. I had three bleaching sessions and was sent home after each one with
whitening trays. At the end, the teeth had lightened three shades. The next
stage was the bonding, which took three hours in Martina’s chair. It really was
pain free – no injections or drills. It cost about $3,250 but it has taken five
years off me and the boots it has given my confidence is priceless”
