BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Beauty Basics How Healthy Teeth Preserve Youth

"Roaming 279" asked:

Carolyn, would you agree that taking care of one's teeth also helps keep the facial skin/shape young?

Oh boy, does it ever!!!!

<img src="/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />Did you know that actresses in the 1930's and 1940's used to have their molars (back teeth) removed to give their cheeks a more hollow appearance and accentuate their cheekbones?

It may look glamorous when you're young, but as you age it just looks "old".

<img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />Having missing teeth wreeks havoc on your appearance. Even if no one can see what's missing (as in back teeth), all kinds of things start to go wrong, and it's like a row of dominoes toppling.

First, the part of the jaw that served to anchor the missing tooth or teeth begins to shrink ("resorb") and the more teeth you lose, the more bone loss you experience. This creates a "shrunken" framework over which your lips and cheeks are draped, which in turn causes the "hollow" look I described above.

<img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />Next, surrounding teeth start to shift. Mainly, the ones behind tip over into the space. Teeth opposite (above or below) may start to erupt ("grow" out of the socket). If this happens, they often keep moving til they hit something, even if it's the gums below or above.

Now you've got gaps, tipped teeth, and "overerupted" teeth.

<img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />I used to tell my patients to picture a nice, strong picket fence. Then, imagine taking out a few of the supporting horizontal rails, and put some wear and tear on the fence. We've all seen them as they gradually collapse! (Not to mention, uneven teeth are harder to keep clean, so more prone to cavities and gum disease).

Here's the grand finale. Your brain, nerves, and facial muscles all work in harmony with your bite. Now the bite changes. If you weren't already grinding your teeth at night (most of us do!) you'll start. It's a reaction to the disharmony that's been created.

What's wrong with grinding your teeth, besides the fact that it keeps your roommate awake?

Well, grinding wears the teeth down. Some people do it faster than others. But as they wear down, they get shorter.

<img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />Picture the extreme -- really short, stubby little teeth. Not very attractive are they? And when you bite down, you have to close down farther to get them to touch. There's now less distance between the tip of your nose and the tip of your chin when you bite.

<img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />Have you ever seen those posters of people with no teeth biting down? Their chins go right up to their noses! Shorter teeth shorten the bottom half of your face when you bite down. That makes for an aged appearance and more wrinkly-looking skin.

OK, so maybe you've got only one missing tooth and nothing serious has come of it so far. Who knows, you may be one of those lucky people who gets away with it. Or maybe you won't. How much of a gamble are you ready to take?

<img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />Bottom line? Take care of your teeth. Prevent cavites. Prevent gum disease. Those are the biggest reasons for tooth loss. Get little problems fixed while they're still little. Don't wait for them to get big and expensive.

Find a dentist you trust, who doesn't hurt you. There's no reason in this day and age that dentistry should be painful!

There. I'm getting off my soap box now... <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/images/graemlins/kiss.gif" alt="" /> Wow <img src="/images/graemlins/kiss.gif" alt="" /> Carolyn, thanks for the info <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I liked the trivia at the start (I loved the whole article) -- I didn't know that the actresses had teeth removed -- I wouldn't let them near my teeth <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

BTW, I found this link as I was reading the news today: the whole tooth - news item

You can step-up to the soapbox again and let us know what you think <img src="/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> or save it for a featured article <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

My hubby has bone loss (hereditary) and his teeth started falling out...he ended up with dentures and I vowed to brush, brush, brush after going through that with him! We opted for the more expensive dentures and they do look very good, but there are still lots of problems associated with dentures. I never really noticed before, but now I can usually spot people wearing dentures, especially bad ones. The irony of it all was my hubby had never had a cavity in his life! Connie

I looked at the article, and it's excellent. Right on target. Although I never referred to myself as a "holistic" dentist, I'm very much in agreement with the concepts in the article.

The mouth is very much the "window" to what's going on in the rest of the body, and many diseases will show telltale signs in the oral cavity long before they've made themselves known elsewhere in the body.

As for amalgams, the American Dental Association also vehemently denies any claims that they're unsafe. But who wants to take a chance? I stopped placing them in 1997.

The rubber dam is a wonderful device (around since the 1930's by the way) to protect patients during removal of amalgams, decay, etc, and also protects from swallowing any of the tiny little instruments we use during root canal treatment. I used one for everything possible. I also work with a fiberoptic light source aimed directly at my "target" and 3.8X magification. Without magnification, it's easy to miss things (like decay and defective restorations) and to do sloppy work and still think it looks great, lol!

Here's a pic of me working on a patient before I gave up my practice:

Poor hubby! Smoking and heredity are the two biggest risk factors for developing periodontal disease, followed by diabetes.

Except for a certain percentage of especially aggressive cases, it can be prevented. Once it starts, it can be treated -- the earier it's caught, the more successfully.

Since your husband never had cavities, he probably thought he had great teeth and didn't need much dental care, if any (perio disease doesn't hurt).

Even if he did get regular cleanings, some dentists/hygienists don't do a thorough enough exam to catch the warning signs. Some don't even pick up on advanced cases. For various reasons, things can look great on the surface, while underneath there's a disaster! A full set of x-rays and a measurement of the pockets (space between tooth and gum) at six points around each and every tooth is the only way to do a thorough screening for the problem.

We know so much about how to diagnose and treat this today, and it's amazing how many caes still get "missed" in dental offices.

There's reasons for that too, but I've run out of steam for now! <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

He was a big smoker too...2 packs a day since he was a young teen. So I guess he got the double whammy! By the time his teeth were loose and falling out he changed dentists and the new one wanted to do surgery (where they pull the gum back and scrape...I think that is what he wanted to do...this has been a while back!) and it was $3000. For us (at the time 4 children and we were struggling to make ends meet) it seemed like a lot of money, well, it still is! His dad had that done and said it didn't help much, he still ended up losing his teeth, probably only allowed him to keep his teeth a little longer. So we had to pass on that. There were 5 boys in his family growing up and his dad was a farmer. His mom didn't work and so I figure routine dental care was something they couldn't afford. I think people would be really surprised if they knew how many people went without dental care. Do you have any figures on that?

Connie

Hi Connie,

You're right, your husband being a smoker did give him the double whammy. Surgery helps, but unless home care is meticulous (think 20 minutes at the sink every day) and professional cleanings are done every 3 months, chances are it will only delay the inevitable. Most people just don't have the time or money. However, after living for a few years with dentures, most tell me that NOT saving their teeth was the biggest mistake they ever made. It's the old thing of taking something for granted until it's gone, I guess!!

As for people who go without dental care, last time I checked, it was only 50% of the population that goes to the dentist, and 50% does without. (And a certain percentage of those avoid us like the plague, lol!!)