SMILE file
TURN BACK THE CLOCK AND SAY CHEESE!
Every smile is beautiful, but there are a few things you can do to make yours even better. They will help freshen up your appearance and be a massive confidence boost that will see you smiling a whole lot more. Here are a few common issues.
ISSUE: YELLOWING
Our teeth naturally yellow as we age, but our lifestyle can also play a part. “Years of smoking, along with drinking tea, coffee and red wine are some of the most common ways our teeth become discoloured,” says Dr Robyn Cameron of dental firm Cameron and Field. If you can afford it, the best way to refresh them is with a professional whitening treatment. One
such as Phillips Zoom WhiteSpeed is safe, widely available and popular with dentists. The process involves a hydrogen peroxide-based gel applied to the teeth, which is then activated by an LED light to speed up whitening.
After 15 minutes, you’ll have the gel rinsed off and a new layer applied for another 15 minutes, which is repeated three to four times until you reach a satisfactory result. It’s important to note that any sort of whitening will only lighten natural teeth – veneers and crowns won’t lift in colour.
With regards to sensitivity, everyone is different explains Dr Cameron, “but brushing with a sensitive toothpaste formula a couple of weeks prior to whitening and taking pain relief an hour before the treatment can help.”
Dr Cameron says the feedback from her clients who have had their teeth whitened in her practice is overwhelmingly that “they wish they’d had it done years ago”.
Afterwards you’ll need to avoid staining culprits such as coffee and wine for a couple of days. “The general rule is not to eat or drink anything that would stain a white T-shirt in the time,” advises Dr Cameron.
SPLASH: For around $11, Colgate Whitening Toothpaste, will work to help brighten teeth over time with its hydrogen peroxide-infused formula. SPLURGE: Depending on the dental professional, you can expect to pay between $595 and $795 for a Phillips Zoom WhiteSpeed treatment, but the results will be instant.
ISSUE: LINES AROUND THE MOUTH
We naturally associate lines around the mouth with smoking, but that’s not the only trigger. “Fine lines around the mouth can be caused by multiple things, including use of muscles, volume loss and UV damage,” says Clinical Nurse Educator for Caci, Brandy Wehinger.
How they can be improved will depend on the cause. ”Lip lines caused by repetitive action of the muscles around the mouth, for example, can be treated with muscle relaxant injected into the muscles that are causing the lines,” says Brandy. However, if a client is a little older or the lines are much deeper,
Brandy suggests a combination of muscle relaxant and dermal filler.
“This helps to create structure around the mouth, strengthening the area and making it less prone to wrinkles and lines.”
SPLASH: Try patting
Revlon Youth FX Fill +
Blur Concealer, $32, around your lip line to create a smooth appearance before following up with your lipstick. SPLURGE: The cost of injectibles really depends on how much product is needed. To relax the muscles around the upper lip, prices would start from $80 and the procedure would need to be repeated again in three to four months.
For deeper lines that require dermal filler, expect to pay upwards of $790 and for it to last up to 18 months.
ISSUE: GUMMY SMILE
Revealing a lot of upper gum on one or both sides when you smile is relatively common and normal but if it bothers you, there are a couple of ways you can minimise the look of it. Your choice of lipstick, for example, can help to either emphasise or camouflage your gummy smile.
Choosing a lip colour close to the colour of your own gums will help to mask the issue, whereas a strong-coloured lipstick will emphasise your lips and make the gums look more obvious.
“Appearance medicine can be used to relax a muscle called the levator labii superioris alaeque nasi,” says Brandy.
“In people with a gummy smile, this muscle really pulls the lip upward,” she explains. “An injectable relaxant softens this muscle’s action and prevents it from excessively pulling.” SPLASH: For under $20, you can draw less attention to a gummy smile by wearing a pinky-nude shade of lipstick such as Natio Lip Colour in Eden, $17.50.
SPLURGE: Expect to pay upwards of $80 for a one-off treatment of muscle relaxant. To maintain the effect, you will need to have it done every three to four months.