Improving your smile goes a long way in overall appearance

A recent national survey by the American Dental Association, Crest®, and Oral B® found that the smile is what people find most attractive in others. The smile outranked eyes, hair, and the body as the most attractive physical feature in other people. Both men and women both ranked the smile as the most attractive feature in the opposite sex.

That being said, an improvement in your smile can be achieved, in most cases, at a fraction of the cost of a face lift. Porcelain veneers, for example, are an option that can make your teeth and smile more attractive in a very short amount of time. The disadvantage to veneers is that they have to be replaced after a period of time, therefore increasing the overall lifetime cost. On the other hand, you may want to consider orthodontics. I have a bias for orthodotnics since I am an orthodontist. I see amazing transformations in smiles and overall facial appearance everyday.

As we age, the dental arches (upper and lower teeth) tend to collapse-in towards the tongue causing the the teeth to become crowded. Support of facial tissues in the area around the mouth are therefore adversely affected. This occurs whether you had braces previously or not. Since the teeth are a large contributor to facial support, especially in the area of the upper lip, re-alignment of the teeth and width expansion of smile zone can add rejuventaion and a more youthfull appearance to your smile and face. Everyone has seen what occurs to the face when a denture-wearing individual removes their dentures. The face totally collapses.

Best of all, your smile should last the rest of your lifetime as long as retention recommendations are followed.

Obviously there is no simple answer to this question. A surgical face lift remains the gold standard by which every other non-face lift procedure is measured against. You have to keep in mind that everything else is just a substitute and a temporary one at best!

Having said that, there are many alternatives to a surgical face lift for facial rejuvenation. In order to select the best procedure for you, you must consult with someone who is competent and performs face lift along with many other non-surgical methods. In other words, if you consult with a one trick pony, that pony will only show you the only trick he knows!

Botox and fillers (Juvederm, Restylane, Radiesse) are good, simple options in most cases. Next to this comes laser resurfacing (CO2, Erbium, Fractional, etc). Thermage is also an option but in my opinion, for what you pay, it probably does not give you enough improvement.

Among minimally invasive procedures, thread lifting comes to mind but the longevity of this has not been proven. Autologous fat injection to hollowing areas of your face (under eyes, cheeks, etc) can often produce very nice results.

Honestly, to find the best answer to your specific needs, you should consult with a facial plastic surgeon or a plastic surgeon who specializes in facial surgery.

The treatment to any problem must fit.  You can't shrink skin significantly and soft tissue that has sagged needs to be repositioned and repaired.  Although it would be wonderful to achieve youth with an office treatment, it just doesn't exist.  I see several patients each week now who have tried short cuts and have wasted money.  If you don't want a facelift, take a vacation or buy yourself something nice.  Thermage, Fraxel, etc. are not substitutes./

Helpful?

Contact the doctor