Quick Answers
Here are some quick tips to help make your smile look more youthful:
- Whitening treatments can brighten stained or discolored teeth
- Using lip plumpers or makeup tricks can make lips appear fuller
- Botox or fillers can soften lines around the mouth
- Veneers or dental bonding can cover cracks, chips, gaps, or uneven teeth
- Gum lift surgery can expose more of the teeth
- Orthodontics can straighten crooked teeth
What makes a smile look old?
There are a few common signs of aging that can make your smile look older than you feel:
- Discolored or yellowed teeth from coffee, tea, red wine, tobacco, etc.
- Worn enamel and exposed dentin causing teeth to appear more transparent
- Chipped, cracked, or broken teeth
- Gaps between teeth from past dental work
- Crooked or uneven teeth and bite issues
- Gums receding over time, exposing more tooth roots
- Thin lips that have lost volume and fullness with age
- Fine lines, wrinkles, and thinning skin around the mouth
These issues can add years to your smile. Fortunately there are many ways to turn back time and help your smile look more youthful.
Teeth Whitening
One of the most effective ways to instantly take years off your smile is professional teeth whitening. Over time, the enamel of our teeth starts to thin and the yellowish dentin underneath begins to show through. Teeth also accumulate stains from food, drinks, tobacco, and plaque. Whitening treatments can brighten your smile by removing surface stains and lightening the inner color of your teeth.
You can choose from:
- In-Office Whitening – The quickest and most dramatic results. Your dentist applies a high-concentration peroxide gel to your teeth and uses a special curing light or laser to accelerate the whitening process. Effects are visible right away.
- At-Home Whitening – Your dentist makes custom-fitted trays and provides a lower-concentration peroxide gel to use at home each day for 1-2 weeks. More gradual results.
- Over-the-Counter Whitening – Whitening strips, paint-on gels and trays with pre-filled gel. Must be applied daily for 1-2 weeks. More subtle brightening over time.
Professional whitening is the gold standard for longer-lasting, whiter smile results. Over-the-counter options may not be as effective at lightening intrinsic tooth discoloration from aging. Be sure to talk to your dentist first before using any whitening products.
Correct Chipped, Worn, or Gapped Teeth
If you have teeth that are chipped, cracked, worn down, or have gaps between them, these imperfections can make your smile appear older. Here are some cosmetic solutions:
Dental Bonding
Your dentist applies a putty-like resin material to your tooth. It is sculpted and hardened with a curing light. The bonded surface is then smoothed and polished to match your surrounding teeth. Ideal for minor chips, cracks, gaps, stains, and uneven tooth surfaces.
Dental Veneers
Thin shells of porcelain or composite resin are bonded to the front of teeth. Veneers can reshape, resize, and rejuvenate teeth with severe cracks, gaps, or misalignment issues.
Dental Crowns
Damaged, discolored or worn teeth are fully capped with metal, porcelain fused to metal, resin, or ceramic crowns to strengthen them and improve their appearance.
Clear Orthodontic Aligners
New “invisible braces” options like Invisalign can gradually straighten mildly crooked or crowded teeth. This can close unwanted gaps for a more uniform, youthful smile.
Repairing tooth imperfections and damage goes a long way towards updating your smile. Consult your dentist to determine which solution is right for your needs.
Plump Thin Lips
Thin lips with little definition can also age your smile. As we get older, our lips lose collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid. This leads to a loss of volume and a flattening of the cupid’s bow.
Make your lips appear more youthful with:
Lip Plumpers
Look for lip glosses, balms, and patches that use ingredients like cinnamon, ginger, peppermint oil, or hyaluronic acid to increase blood flow and temporarily plump lips.Repeat daily.
Lip Injections
Hyaluronic acid lip fillers like Juvederm and Restylane add volume, shape and definition. Effects last 6-12 months. Repeat injections needed to maintain plumpness.
Makeup Contouring
Use lip liner and lipstick to define the cupid’s bow. Blend lighter and darker tones to create a 3D effect. A color-rich balm in the center of lips also plumps them visually.
Well-defined lips with a subtle boost in volume and color can make your smile appear more youthful.
Soften Facial Lines Around the Mouth
Wrinkles, creases, and thin skin around the mouth can add years and turn a smile into a frown. Here are some ways to smooth lines for a more vibrant smile:
Botox
Botox injections relax the muscles that form lines and wrinkles around the mouth and jaw. Results last 3-4 months. Requires maintenance appointments.
Dermal Fillers
Injectable fillers like Juvederm and Restylane plump lips, fill marionette lines, and add volume around the mouth. Lasts 6-18 months.
Resurfacing Laser Treatments
Non-ablative and fractional ablative lasers improve skin tone and texture, reducing fine lines. Multiple treatments needed.
Energy-Based Skin Tightening
Thermage and Ultherapy use radiofrequency and ultrasound energy to stimulate collagen and gradually tighten skin.
Neuromodulators
New technologies like Emsculpt Neo help tone facial muscles and tighten skin through electromagnetic energy and radiofrequency.
Smoothing wrinkles, filling folds, tightening skin, and boosting facial volume can take years off your smile. Consult a cosmetic dermatologist or plastic surgeon.
Gum Lift Surgery
A “gummy smile” where excessive gingival tissue is visible above the teeth can add an aging look. As gums recede, teeth can also appear shorter and more exposed at the roots.
Gum Grafting
Grafting gingival tissue from the palate to areas with receding gums can prevent further recession.
Gum Contouring
Reshaping procedures like gingivectomy remove excess gum tissue for aesthetics.
Gum Lift Surgery
In a gum lift or crown lengthening procedure, excess gum and bone tissue is recontoured to expose more of the teeth. This increases tooth proportions for a more youthful smile.
Consult a periodontist to determine which option is appropriate. Be sure to maintain excellent oral hygiene and gum health.
Consider Orthodontic Alignment
Crooked, crowded, or uneven teeth can close up your smile and make you look older. Orthodontic treatments like braces or clear aligners allow teeth to be straightened gradually over months. This creates a more uniform, wider smile for a rejuvenated look.
Orthodontics may include:
- Metal or ceramic braces
- Clear aligners like Invisalign
- Lingual braces attached to the backs of teeth
- Minor tooth extractions or reshaping if needed
In adults, the process typically takes 12-24 months depending on the complexity of the case. Retainers are required afterwards to maintain alignment. The timing is ideal in your 30’s – 50’s to refresh your smile for the years ahead.
Change Smile Perceptions
In addition to cosmetic procedures and oral care, little changes in how you smile, laugh, and hold your face can also shave years off your looks:
- Practice smiling more to develop natural smile lines instead of frowning or tight lips
- Smile with your teeth slightly parted to appear more carefree and approachable
- Work on genuine exuberant smiles that reach your eyes to portray youthful energy
- Bring attention upward with brighter eyes and raised cheeks instead of drooping corners
- Focus on inner joy and confidence which will shine through on your face
Small adjustments to your habitual expressions can help your smile radiate a more positive, energetic, and youthful vibe!
Summary
Here are some final tips for making your smile look years younger:
- Whiten teeth to boost brightness
- Repair chips, cracks, gaps, and uneven teeth
- Plump lips with injections or makeup
- Smooth wrinkles around the mouth
- Reveal more teeth with gum lift techniques
- Straighten crooked teeth with orthodontics
- Alter smile habits to be more relaxed, genuine and joyful
Consult your dentist and cosmetic providers to develop a personalized plan. With some minor tweaking, you can turn back the clock and smile confidently for years to come. Don’t settle for an aging smile – take control and rediscover a more youthful you!
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there any risks to teeth whitening?
Professional teeth whitening administered by a dentist is generally safe. The most common side effects include temporary tooth sensitivity and gum irritation. Over-the-counter whitening products have less oversight, so be cautious using these options and follow directions closely. Always consult your dentist first if you have any concerns.
What results can I expect from using lip plumpers?
Most over-the-counter lip plumpers provide only a temporary effect from ingredients that induce mild inflammation and swelling. Results last a few hours up to a day. Long term, repeated use may gradually improve definition. But for significant plumping, injectable dermal fillers are needed.
How long do anti-wrinkle injections like Botox last?
Results from Botox last approximately 3-4 months. The effects are temporary as the body metabolizes and breaks down the Botox protein over time. Repeat injections are needed every 3-6 months to maintain a smooth, wrinkle-free look around the mouth.
Can gum contouring really make my teeth look longer?
Yes, removing excess gum tissue and reshaping the bone below can increase the exposed tooth length by 1-3mm. This small change is often enough to create a wider, fuller smile with greater proportions of visible tooth. The result is a more aesthetic, youthful smile.
At what age should I consider using anti-aging dentistry procedures?
Most cosmetic dentists recommend starting subtle improvements by your late 30’s to early 40’s as aging issues begin to emerge. By addressing problems gradually over time (e.g. a little whitening, then veneers, then injectables, etc.), you can maintain a naturally youthful look. More dramatic corrections are possible at any age but may require extensive work.
Conclusion
While our smiles inevitably change with age, there are many ways to reverse the clock and regain a more youthful appearance. Cosmetic dentistry and facial rejuvenation offer tools to brighten, straighten, plump, and smooth your smile. With a customized treatment plan and proper oral health habits, you can look as young as you feel. Smile proudly and enjoy the benefits of an anti-aging makeover!