If you’re over the age of forty and have considered cosmetic dental work, you’ll want to know some of the principles behind Midlife Dentistry. This is not a recognized specialty in dentistry, but a protocol I developed after thirty years of experience and research into the best ways to ensure that cosmetic dental work lasts, does not interfere with natural chewing function, or create a structural imbalance leading to pain.

Among the reasons Midlife Dentistry can save you on your cosmetic dental work are:
Your head, neck and jaw are balanced so that your cosmetic dental work is sitting on a sound structure. This ensures that your cosmetic work will last and save you from redoing procedures.
As you age your teeth wear down, often causing an uneven bite. This can lead to unexplained pain in the head and neck area. If not addressed, you may have to redo cosmetic dental work. Worse, you may seek medical treatment for pain that has been caused by your cosmetic work.

The health of your teeth and gums are viewed as part of an interrelated structure of your head, neck and jaw. A comprehensive program ensures the outcome of natural chewing as well as the expected aesthetic outcome. If your primary concern is just looks, then you may not get the work done correctly the first time.

I regularly have patients come to me to correct cosmetic work that was done over misalignment of the head, neck or jaw. This often leads to unexplained headaches due to a basic malfunction that was only made worse by veneers or crowns.

Some signs you may be ready for Midlife Dentistry include:

1. Thinning of your lips.


2. Wrinkles or sagging around your mouth and jaw.


3. A wearing down of your teeth causing your chin to get closer to your nose.


4. You avoid chewing on one side of your mouth.


5. You have missing or cracked teeth.


6. You don’t smile for pictures anymore.


7. You noticed facial pain with increased pressure in your head and sinuses.


8. You put your hand over your mouth when you smile.


9. You notice your smile is getting crooked as teeth wear down unevenly.


10. You’ve had an increase in root canals, especially on one side of your mouth.


11. You have neck and low back pain that creates inactivity.

To summarize, if and your dentist recognize that the primary role of dentistry is chewing, then all of the work you get, from simple fillings to implants and crowns will be designed to function naturally. When this happens, your cosmetic work is more apt to be done in alignment with your structure. This leads to work that doesn’t have to be redone.

About the author. Dr. Peter J. Pagano has authored an upcoming book entitled: Ageless Smile: What Every Boomer Needs to Know About Midlife Dentistry (Foghorn Communications, LLC, November 2008). His practice (www.artisticsmiledoc.com) is based in St Louis but treats patients from outside the area.

Midlife Dentistry is a service mark owned by Dr. Peter J. Pagano.