Anti-Age your mouth!
How to anti-age your mouth!
We have all seen those GIFs of Happy Birthday and the granny blows out the candles and her teeth fall out with it! Not a key look. So how do you protect your mouth from ageing?
A key factor that can make a mouth look older and actually age the face is the loss of the vertical height in the lower third of the face- basically that sunken in shortened face height that is associated with people when they wear dentures! This lack of lip support and loss of height is characteristic of an aged face!
So how can this be avoided?
1. It is so important to look after your teeth and treat dental issues early!
Dental issues which progress can over time can lead to the need for much more radical solutions being required to treat otherwise preventable problems. Such solutions including tooth extraction can then lead to many complicated issues which lead to a reduced face height, such as over-eruption of opposing molar teeth, drifting of other teeth, preventing space closure with prostheses.
Gum disease which can lead in the most serious consequences to tooth loss, should also be treated early, to prevent the need for extractions, leading to reduced face height!
2. Airway Airway Airway! - GAMECHANGER
Tooth grinding needs treated early!
Tooth grinding, persistent over time will wear away the enamel surface of the teeth. This may not be seen as significant at the start however over time this will cause mm by mm, a reduction in the lower face height, as the teeth wear. The seriousness of this cannot be overemphasised as over time your other teeth will move to create positive contacts for chewing and biting, filling the space, seriously compromising returning to the original face height!
This is a dimension which is so difficult to get back without a full mouth rehabilitation plan, can be a key ageing factor so many remain unaware of.
A full mouth rehabilitation can lead to often over £20k of dental work to remediate, something ideally best avoided!
So how do you treat tooth grinding?
Tooth grinding needs to be addressed, looking for the root cause rather than often as we see a way to prevent symptoms (headaches, pain, that strange noise your partner complains of as you sleep)
Some of the causes of tooth grinding!
Stress and anxiety: Emotional stress and anxiety can cause people to grind their teeth, especially at night.
Malocclusion: When the teeth are not aligned properly, it can cause people to grind their teeth as they try to adjust their bite.
Sleep disorders: Sleep apnea, airway incompetence(biological, habitual or physical), snoring, and other sleep disorders can cause people to grind their teeth during sleep.
Medications: Certain medications, such as antidepressants, can cause teeth grinding as a side effect.
Lifestyle factors: Consuming caffeine or alcohol, smoking, and recreational drug use can increase the risk of tooth grinding.
Medical conditions: Neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease can cause teeth grinding, as can acid reflux and other digestive disorders.
There is ever increasing evidence showing that tooth grinding and wear has a major link to airway incompetence. This is a revelation in dental and medical care, as such the grinding is a subconscious action to move the jaw into a more favourable position to increase air flow as someone sleeps.
That is why we feel at Paste Dental Belfast that, often giving a biteguard to a grinding patient can sometimes actually further reduce airflow worsening the initial issue and root cause.
Airway issues may be due to sleep apnoea, but not exclusively at all! Instead airway issues may be linked to persistent habitual mouth breathing, nasal blockage, poorly developed palatal dimensions, reduction in airway space through previous orthodontic treatment!
It is so vital to take a comprehensive approach to dentistry and tooth wear, to assess the root cause of grinding. Airway assessment is essential in any comprehensive dental treatment! If you are experiencing tooth grinding, it is important to speak to your dentist or doctor to determine the underlying cause and receive appropriate treatment. Treatment may include relaxation techniques, addressing airway issues, orthodontic treatment, medication, or indeed the use of a mouthguard to protect the teeth from damage.
So be aware of the impact of neglecting these common dental issues, your 65 year old self might just say thanks!