4 razones inesperadas para ir al dentista, aunque no te duelan las muelas

oral surgeon, implant dentist, orthopedist

How do you know if you need to go to the dentist even if you don’t have a toothache?

A person makes an appointment to see a dentist when they have a toothache. It seems logical. Of course, other problems in the oral cavity can also be a reason for an appointment: bleeding gums, pain in the temporomandibular joint, discoloration of teeth, violation of the aesthetics of the smile, etc. And this is also not surprising at all.

However, there are unexpected at first glance reasons to visit the dentist – changes in the oval of the face and the appearance of wrinkles. “That’s where you need a cosmetologist or plastic surgeon!” – you will say. This is not always the case. Teeth are the skeleton of our face, so any change in bite leads to changes in the face. Especially in its lower thirds – cheeks, lips, chin.

Wrinkles

Vertical wrinkles, nasolabial folds, sunken cheeks, as well as drooping corners of the eyes and so-called “hound’s feet” – all this can be a consequence of the absence of chewing teeth or their erasure. These are the teeth that support the cheeks from the inside.

Read about the products that are bad for dental health in the material at the link.

Fuzzy facial contour

You can lose the sharpness of the contours of the lower third of your face, have a drooping mouth and a tired expression if you lose or damage your canines. These teeth are responsible for the curve of the jaw and form the oval shape of the face.

The loss of a whole row of teeth is difficult not to notice: the lower third of the face becomes noticeably lower in height, nasolabial folds and bellybones are maximized. This effect is not only caused by missing teeth, but also by significant tooth erasure (when the height of the teeth decreases over time).

Laxity of the lips

Upper or lower lip drooping, flabbiness and fine lines around the mouth are caused by problems with the front teeth.

Obvious facial asymmetry

Even one lost tooth can take a toll on the beauty of your face. Its absence will also become obvious over time. The soft tissues, lacking support, begin to droop – and wrinkles form. This happens only on the side of the defect, so the face becomes asymmetrical.

Hypertonicity of the masticatory muscles can aggravate asymmetry. It occurs due to the incorrect distribution of chewing load. After all, a person begins to chew more actively on the side of the jaw where all the teeth are in place.

You can try as much as you want to eliminate unpleasant facial changes with the help of cosmetic methods. However, it will be useless if the cause is the absence or erosion of teeth and bite disorders. Modern dentistry is able to fully restore the tooth row with the help of implants. And it is possible to restore the bite height in case of erasable teeth with the help of crowns.

In some cases, a visit to the dentist can help avoid an appointment with a plastic surgeon. In my practice, I prefer the effectiveness of a comprehensive approach: when, after restoring the teeth, the patient turns to cosmetic dentists to finally compensate for the already age-related changes in the soft tissues.

It is realistic to combine dental care with other useful activities. Read about three exercises you can do while brushing your teeth in the article at the link.