When people see your smile, they will automatically guess your age. They will combine what they see in your smile with what they see on your face, hands, and other clues to guess how old you are.
There are a few key signs that people will look for in your smile–color, size, and shape of teeth–to guess your age. If you can take care of those, you will fool everyone with a more youthful smile than your years.
Discoloration and Age
Over time, your teeth will naturally become discolored. This is due partly to staining of your teeth, but also partly due to erosion of your tooth enamel.
To keep your teeth from being discolored, try to cut down on staining foods and beverages, like coffee, tea, red wine, chocolate, or berries. You can also reduce the staining effect of these foods by rinsing your mouth with water after eating them. Brushing your teeth and seeing your dentist regularly can also help limit the staining of your teeth.
You also want to avoid eroding your tooth enamel. Acidic foods and beverages can erode your enamel, which will cause the discolored dentin underneath your enamel to show through.
Tooth Wear Makes You Look Older
Another aspect of your smile that can make you look older is if your teeth get worn down so they are small. Short teeth will make people think you are older than you really are.
In fact, tooth wear affects more than just your smile. If your teeth are worn down, they cannot support your face at its former height, which can lead to more wrinkles, jowls, and facial folds.
To prevent excessive wear on your teeth, don’t use them to crunch ice, crack nuts, or perform other tasks other than eating food. You should also have TMJ and bruxism treated before it causes significant damage to your teeth.
And if you have already suffered tooth wear, you should consider a non-surgical facelift.
Some Smiles Look Older, but You Don’t Have to
Unfortunately, not all of us are dealt the same hand when it comes to the youthfulness of our smiles. Some of us have smiles that inherently have aged characteristics. Your smile may never have been as white as you wanted it, and your teeth may always have been short, and without the slightly longer central incisors that people associate with youth.
The good news is, though, that you don’t have to accept an aged smile. Whether your smile never looked as youthful as you would like or if it has not aged well, we can give you a more youthful and attractive smile.
To learn how your smile might look younger, please call (843) 706-2999 for an appointment with a cosmetic dentist in Hilton Head at Beyond Exceptional Dentistry.
