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All smiles: The four-step procedure can take years off your face by adding veneers to your teeth to lift your smile
Dubbed the ‘Dental Facelift’ in the U.S., a pioneering new non-surgical technique promises to not only give you a perfect set of teeth, but also restructure the face to make it look up to ten years younger.
This four-step procedure involves the artful manipulation of veneers, which are widely used by cosmetic dentists to fix wonky, chipped or discoloured smiles. The thin layers of porcelain are placed over the upper and lower teeth to subtly reshape the face.
So how can fixing your teeth help you look younger? While it’s commonly known that a decrease in collagen and elastin production can cause the face to age, the changes in our mouth as we grow older can be just as instrumental in effecting how we look.
‘Our teeth play a major role in the framework of the face,’ explains Dr Mervyn Druian from the London Centre for Cosmetic Dentistry — the first to offer what he calls, the Non-Surgical Smile Lift in Britain.
‘However, as we age the teeth wear down and the jaw recedes, leading to the facial height [the area between the nose and chin] decreasing and the lower part of the face dropping. All this causes the facial proportions to change and you get a slackened appearance.’
Those who offer dental facelifts say they are breaking new ground in cosmetic dentistry and anti-ageing.
‘Veneers can be used to lift the whole face,’ says Dr Druian. ‘For example, by placing veneers on the back molars, I can widen the upper arch of the face, which plumps out the cheeks giving them a more heightened appearance.’
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Then you’ve got the side of the mouth, which tends to look dark and droopy. ‘Applying veneers here, can widen the smile, making it appear brighter, while discretely lifting up the corners of the lip,’ he says.
But does it work? Some experts have dismissed the procedure as a ‘fad’ and warn that the decision to have such extensive work to your teeth should not be taken lightly given the risks.
‘Dental facelifts involving extensive veneers have potentially detrimental consequences such as tooth sensitivity, swollen gums, death of the nerves, abscesses or even tooth loss. ‘We are seeing these problems surface from when people had ‘smile makeovers’ in the Eighties and Nineties.
Essentially this is another fad, warns Dr Irfan Ahmad, a renowned expert in aesthetic dentistry.
‘Having a treatment like this is a serious decision with serious consequences. The irreversible damage done by grinding natural teeth is permanent. It may have a subtle effect on lips and cheeks for someone who has missing teeth, but for the majority of people not affected in this way, you may want to look at alternative treatments before parting with thousand of pounds.’
But Deborah Chester, a 45-year-old writer from Tufnell Park in North London, has no regrets.
Desperate to fix her front teeth which she felt were ruining her smile, she visited Dr Druian and ended up having 16 veneers bonded on as part of a comprehensive dental makeover.
Serious consequences: Senior dentist Dr Irfan Ahmad has warned that the procedure would have no effect on many people and could do permanent damage to the teeth
‘I had wanted to sort out my uneven smile for years. I had a consultation with Dr Druian who explained the benefits of this procedure,’ she explains.
Deborah was talked through the process, which involved filing the teeth to make room for the veneers. ‘It sounded scary, but I was determined to sort out my teeth. I was given some local anaesthetic, so felt nothing during the two hours it took.’
Not only was Deborah pleased with her new grin, but she was pleasantly surprised by the changes to her face, which made her look younger.
‘I was delighted with my new smile — and fixing that was my priority. But the effect the treatment had on my overall appearance was an added bonus. My lips were slightly fuller and my face looked more filled out and balanced. It wasn’t a dramatic change, but it definitely made me feel younger.’
So, opinions are divided. Certainly the dental facelift doesn’t come cheap, at a cost of around £6,000 upwards, but devotees insist it will give you a smile that lifts your whole face.
The Non-Surgical Smile Lift starts from £6,000; londoncosmeticdentistry.co.uk or 020 7722 1235.
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