Anti-Aging Dentistry in Woodland Hills, CA

As we age, our teeth lose the whiteness, fullness, and shape associated with youthful and vibrant smiles. The dentists here at West Hills Smiles understand that aging-related imperfections of the teeth can lead to larger, surprising dental health issues. Mike Salekian, DMD and David Sturgeon, DDS, resident doctors of West Hills Smiles near Woodland Hills, CA, offer rejuvenating anti-aging dentistry that can immediately take years off your appearance.

Effects of Aging on Your Teeth

Years of improper biting, night grinding, teeth clenching, discoloring foods, lack of preventative care, and much more have a negative effect on your appearance that gets worse the longer it goes on. The color, shape, and size of your teeth can age people an additional 5-10 years, and Drs. Mike Salekian and David Sturgeon want our patients to know that there are simple treatments in anti-aging dentistry—often completed in just one visit—that can rejuvenate not just your smile, but even the whole shape of your face.

Some wonder how tooth damage can create a look of premature aging. Here are just a few ways:

• Your teeth support the shape of your mouth and lips. Patients with teeth that are angled inwards or non-symmetrically can make their lips look thin or uneven.
• As we age, our jaws become narrower. This makes our smiles appear less full (think of dark spaces on both sides of the teeth), which is commonly associated with youthful vibrancy.
• The inverted v-shaped space between the teeth—known as the incisal embrasures—can change as we age. Typically, the deeper the v here, the more feminine and youthful the smile appears.
• Wrinkles around the corners of our mouth can stem from a change in bite. These lines can be filled in by anti-aging dentistry, taking years off the mouth’s appearance.
• Similarly, repeated grinding, clenching, or just regular eating over time can diminish the length of our teeth. Short teeth can be painful in some instances and can shorten our bite, shortening the shape of our entire face and making it squarer. People who grind their teeth at night need extra attention to prevent future damage to the teeth; however, most people experience some wearing down of the teeth as they age. Even a few millimeters can make a massive difference in bite and facial structure.
• Many consider silver amalgam (which contain mercury) or black fillings to be out-of-style, which leads to extra self-consciousness about one’s smile. Here at West Hills Smiles, we use “biocompatible dentistry” biocompatible dentistry techniques—including tooth-colored fillings—that can replace or act instead of these outdated methods (and without the potentially harmful effects of mercury).

Smile Makeovers in West Hills, CA

These issues and more can be explored during an anti-aging dentistry consultation at West Hills Smiles. We can look at your bite to determine many of your issues and inquire about what you would like to change. Dr. Salekian and Dr. Strugeon both believe that the health of your teeth can improve concurrently with the aesthetics of your smile. After this anti-aging dentistry consultation, we can evaluate for TMJ, oral cancers, occlusal disease, bite misalignments, periodontal disease, dental decay checkup, and can use digital x-rays to verify our findings. Then, we’ll recommend a course of action that we refer to as a smile makeover.

During a smile makeover, the dentists of West Hills Smiles in Woodland Hills, CA will rejuvenate the look of your teeth in the most conservative approach possible (oftentimes in just one visit). The tools at the disposal of West Hills Smiles include:

• Porcelain crowns, inlays, and onlays.
• Tooth-colored fillings made of biocompatible resins that leave more of your tooth intact than the metal alternatives.
• Laser and gum reshaping that can clear away gummy smiles, effectively lengthening the appearance of the teeth.
• In rare cases, the use of custom night guards or ClearCorrect invisible braces may be recommended as part of the makeover process.

Full mouth reconstruction that combines any of these procedures in order to dramatically restore your smile to the best it’s ever been.

For more information on any of these anti-aging dentistry procedures, contact our dental office near Woodland Hills, CA today!