A new smile helps you look years younger because cosmetic dentistry is like a dental facelift that can quickly reverse the natural aging process of the teeth, as well as the shape of your face.

Youth and beauty are associated with health, symmetry, and vitality. A healthy mouth with a dazzling smile that has white, even, straight teeth can make you look at least 10 years younger.

To improve aging smiles, many patients are turning to cosmetic dentistry instead of more expensive cosmetic surgery.

Just like your bones, teeth can thin out, chip and break. As teeth get shorter and shorter, the smile collapses and the nose and chin move closer and closer to each other. The result is a face that expands sideways and wrinkles and folds that appear around the mouth and cheeks.

With a smile rejuvenation procedure, your natural tooth length is added back to your smile and your face naturally opens up. Almost instantly, years and years of wrinkles and lines disappear. In fact, your friends will be amazed at how much younger you appear and you can truthfully tell them that you haven’t had a facelift.

Teeth can also darken or turn yellow from tobacco, wine, coffee, tea, or certain drugs.

• To look younger through cosmetic dentistry, you may choose to whiten your teeth, or have porcelain veneers applied, or have them sculpted.

• If your teeth are crooked or crowded, you may choose to straighten them without braces using veneers or crowns.

• If your teeth have wide spaces or if you have missing teeth, you may choose to get replacement teeth.

All of these procedures are now performed with high-tech equipment and faster than ever, often in just a few appointments.

If you think your teeth are revealing your age, look into cosmetic dentistry to erase the dental ravages of time.