Midlife Smile Improvement Treatments Are Increasingly Popular

How can our Ipswich dentists help you revitalise your smile?

smiles with whitened teethOne interesting thing that has come out of the year of Covid and numerous lockdowns is that the number of enquiries about cosmetic dental treatment has risen.

Whilst you might expect this to largely come from younger people who are trying to make themselves as attractive as possible for when bars and clubs re-open, one of the largest groups showing an interest has been the over 40s.

Often referred to by the media as the ‘Zoom Boom’ after the popular teeth whitening treatment, many mid-lifers are coming to realise that they can give their appearance a significant lift by having more attractive looking teeth. In today’s blog, we will take a look at why this age group might be showing a particular interest and how we can help.

Life begins at 40

This is a well known saying but in the past it was probably as much an optimistic statement as anything genuine. As our health and awareness has improved though, people no longer see their forties as the start of a slow decline. They often find, as their kids leave home, that they have not only the free time, but also the money and energy to enjoy doing the things that they may have had to cut down on whilst bringing up a family.

There was a time when, at that age, you would be wearing ‘dad clothes’ but this is no longer true either and many middle aged people pay attention to dressing well and doing what they can to look their best. This is where the range of cosmetic treatments at Foxhall Dental Clinic can really help.

The effects of ageing on teeth and possible solutions to the problem

As anyone of this age, or even approaching it, will be all too aware, signs of ageing start to creep up on us. This obviously affects our skin but time also has an effect on our teeth as well. Whilst you can help to prevent some of this with good home oral care backed with checkups at our Ipswich dental clinic, there are still likely to be some issues which cause our smile to be not as we would like it.

Dull and discoloured teeth

This one will happen to nearly all of us. Staining from foods and drinks can be a problem at any age but years of drinking red wine, for example, is likely to leave a marked effect. Even if we quit smoking years ago, the nicotine and tar stains are still likely to be visible. Even if we had avoided all of these tooth staining products though, we will not have retained the whiteness of our teeth that we had when we were younger. The reason for this is that the layer of our teeth below the enamel darkens with age and there is little that we can do about it to stop it happening.

What we can do though is have our teeth whitened using the one hour teeth whitening system that we have available at Foxhall Dental. This safe and fast acting method means that you can arrive for your appointment with dull looking teeth and just one hour later walk out with a great looking white smile.

Chipped teeth

Chipped and cracked teeth can occur at any age but the longer we live, the more likely we are to experience this. Some may require fillings of course if the health of the tooth is threatened, but in many cases, it is more likely to simply affect the way that your teeth look. There are a number of treatment options available which can be determined following an examination by our dentists. One popular cosmetic solution though are dental veneers which provide a new ‘front’ to your teeth. These can also be used for very heavy staining/discolouration too.

Worn teeth

A similar thing applies to worn teeth. Years of chewing, and potentially grinding our teeth, may well take a toll on our teeth, leaving them looking less ‘perfect’ than they were. Whilst dental bonding could potentially be used in some cases to rebuild a worn tooth, crowns are a more likely solution for a longer lasting and natural looking restoration.

Missing teeth

Teeth can be knocked out at any age, as many an amateur footballer might tell you, but years of neglect of our teeth is likely to increase this risk and many of you will enter your middle age with a tooth or two missing. Although dentures can be used to correct this issue, we are increasingly finding that people are declining this method and opting to have dental implants instead.

This shouldn’t really come as a surprise as implants not only look and act as a natural tooth, but can last for twenty years or more with good care. These are just some of the possible treatments that we can use to rebuild a middle age smile. If you have thought about this during lockdown, why not give us a call now to arrange a consultation to see how we can help you have great looking teeth again? You can contact the Foxhall Dental Practice by phoning us on 01473 258396 and our dedicated team will be pleased to assist!