Worn teeth collapse your facial height, causing premature sagging and an aged appearance.
We usually blame age or gravity for our faces looking older. Among the changes we notice are our lips becoming thinner, deep lines appearing around our mouth, and our jawline losing its sharp and clean shape. However, if we analyze it, the main cause of this aging might be inside your mouth.
Consider your teeth as if they were the wooden frame of a house. Such a frame is the one holding up the walls and the roof. Similarly, your teeth are the ones supporting your lips, cheeks, and lower face. Years of teeth grinding will cause this framework to erode, i.e., the support poles will be shorter. And when the poles become smaller, the outer canvas—your skin—will start sagging.
Truth be told, the length of your teeth is what determines the height of your face. If your teeth get shorter, your chin will be closer to your nose when you close your mouth. The result will be a compressed, fatigued, and older appearance.
The Silent Epidemic of Tooth Wear
First of all, tooth wear is a gradual process. Most times, the patients are unaware of what has been done to their teeth until they become completely flat. By then, the face shape has already changed.
This is an example of what we encounter at the practice. The patient wants lip fillers to solve the issue of deep smile lines. She is unaware that her shortened teeth cause most of the problem. If the lips have no support of long and healthy teeth, they will often roll inward, resulting in very thin and aged lips.
It is not merely about mending a single chipped tooth when work is done at Lema Dental Clinic in Turkey. The whole bite height must be rebuilt; we have experienced this.
According to Professor Doctor Coşkun Yıldız, “This is not only about fixing the enamel layer. We are rebuilding the lower face. A natural facelift results from restoring a patient’s natural bite height. Patients’ appearance may be visibly rejuvenated up to ten years.”
Rebuilding the Foundation: How We Restore Facial Height
Without a doubt, that is what dentists and digital designers will be doing to your teeth.
With the help of digital designing tools, Dentist Polen Akkılıç and her staff will measure the amount of tooth height loss you have experienced. Thereafter, porcelain veneers or crowns are made. These strong items restore your teeth to being long and ideally shaped.
The result is that your bite is no longer closed or restricted. Those dark lines near the corners of your mouth will be more visible. Your lips will be fuller without having to work on them. Normally, your face will appear elongated, lit up, and much younger.
Understanding Your Treatment Options
It depends on the level of wear of your teeth. To the point, here is how we deal with different degrees of wear.
| Stage of Wear | What You See | How It Changes Your Face | How We Fix It |
| Mild | The edges of the teeth are only slightly flat. | Face has no time to change. | Minimal composite bonding and a night guard during sleep. |
| Moderate | The enamel is sparsely removed, thus the yellow dentin becomes more visible. Chewing edges of teeth are short. | Appearance of lips evaporates, and comfort lines deepen. | Porcelain veneers for length restoration. |
| Severe | Wear extends down to the gum line. | Face looks hollow. Chin appears too close to the nose. | Full mouth crowns or implants for jaw height reconstruction. |
Protecting Your Restored Smile
The new level that we have brought your facial height to must be carefully preserved by you.
- A Night Guard Is a Must: Your reason for having short teeth is mainly teeth grinding. To protect your smile in your sleep, a custom night guard will suffice as a soft cushion.
- Beware of Acidic Drinks: Soda, wine, and lemon water can weaken your teeth. Rinsing your mouth with water after having them is a must.
- Come to the Clinic Regularly: Bite forces can change little by little. Visits to Lema Dental Clinic help us monitor your teeth to make sure that they fit perfectly together without pressure.
Out of all the things that dentists nowadays can do for a person, one of the most incredible things is to restore their facial height, which brings back the life, health, and youthful glow of a person’s entire face.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fingers are crossed that you don’t. We also have heavy grinder cases similar to yours and handle them with great care and consideration. Solid zirconia is our main material of choice for your back teeth because this is the area where the hardest chewing forces are exerted. If you want to be totally sure everything stays as secure as possible in your mouth, we will also provide you with a highly personalized night guard.
For the next few days, you might feel the jaw muscles are a bit sore. We are, in fact, leading your jaw back to its natural and healthiest position. The jaw joints, over time, will be much more comfortable and relaxed.
Of course. Your teeth are the solid framework behind your lips. When we lengthen and thicken your teeth a bit, they gently push the lips outwards. This will restore the natural plumpness of lips.
A couple of short visits is all we need to get the job done for most patients who fly in from abroad. Dentist Polen Akkılıç and her team work hand in hand with the on-site dental laboratory, which enables them to design and fabricate your custom teeth very quickly and efficiently.
Peek in the mirror and smile. If you notice your teeth are little squares without much height, or if they disappear behind your lips completely, then more than likely, your bite has collapsed. You can get this checked during your first visit with us, and we will show you the difference.
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