The search for the fountain of youth has expanded into dentistry, so much that it’s waging a war against treatments such as Botox and facelifts.
Dentists in New York and Los Angeles are offering procedures that promise to reduce deep wrinkles, lift sagging skin and improve the appearance of facial contours well beyond the smile.
“Most people don’t realise that typical signs of ageing, like hollowed cheeks and wrinkles around the mouth, are actually caused by correctable structural abnormalities in the mouth,” explains Dr. Kourosh Maddahi, author ofAnti-Aging Dentistry: Restoring Youth One Smile at a Time.
In his book, out this week, the celebrity dentist describes minimally invasive procedures he claims to be safer and longer lasting than traditional treatments like injectable fillers.
New York-based cosmetic dentist Janys Gelberg describes how one becomes a candidate for her anti-ageing dentistry services over time.
“Our teeth darken, stain, get worn down, start to look crooked, and gum lines recede,” says Dr. Gelberg’s website . “As teeth wear down, lips lose support, the chin gets closer to the nose, and wrinkles and creases are more apparent.”
Whereas Dr. Gelberg proposes anti-ageing dentistry treatments that expand to but are not limited to Botox and fillers, Dr. Maddahi says patients considering such procedures should start with dentistry.
According to Dr. Maddahi’s website, changing the size, shape and angle of misaligned teeth with crowns, veneers and implants can not only reduce wrinkles but take years off the patient’s appearance by altering the contours of the lower third of the face.
“Anti-ageing dentistry has the potential to revolutionise the way the anti-ageing and cosmetic industries are viewed,” says Dr. Maddahi. “This is the first option that offers not only the health benefits of correcting ageing effects by providing support that had been lacking in the teeth and mouth, but also the aesthetic benefits of a vibrantly transformed smile. Readers will discover that before they get a ‘face lift,’ they might consider a ‘smile lift.’”
Indeed, dentistry’s expansion into anti-ageing marks another notable change in a rapidly evolving industry.
Before tooth straightening became linked to anti-ageing, a popular trend in dentistry was to purposefully misalign the teeth to add unique character to the smile.
Developed by Dr. Didier Fillion, whose clients include the Duchess of Cambridge Catherine Middleton, “micro-rotations” are a procedure intended to break up the straight line and create what he calls “harmonious asymmetry”.
In an interview with Relaxnews, Dr. Fillion says he doubts the capacity of dental procedures to reduce deep wrinkles.
“Let’s not exaggerate the effectiveness [of dental treatments],” says Dr. Fillion. “Certain procedures can ameliorate the profile and smooth tiny wrinkles by adding a bit of volume to the lips when the teeth move, but this type of result is not routine.”
Dr. Fillion says hyaluronic acid is a tool required for his work but that he never uses it as an anti-ageing treatment.
“I’m too busy in my practice to add that aspect,” he says. – AFP Relaxnews