Reconstruction With Porcelain Veneers - Santa Monica

For many years, people in California and elsewhere have turned to facelift surgery as signs of aging become visible. Increasingly however, these same people are discovering that makeover dentistry accomplishes the same result with less pain, less risk of complications, and often for less money. In addition, makeover dentistry (also known as prosthodontics) confers many dental health benefits. (More Dental Before-After Examples)

The Anatomy of the Facelift Procedure

The young man you see here had a hard time smiling; like too many people (particularly young people), he was very self-conscious about the appearance of his teeth. The photograph to the right shows clearly how cosmetic dental treatments have reshaped his teeth to match the curvature of his lower lip, resulting in a celebrity smile.

Whether surgical or dental, facelift surgery is not just for those approaching middle age and beyond. In fact, the facial collapse and shortening associated with aging can happen to people before the age of thirty - particularly if they have a history of teeth grinding (also known as bruxism), or congenital issues with their teeth and/or gums.

The young man pictured here had serious bite and alignment issues as you can see from this photo taken prior to the start of treatment. His severe overbite resulted in a collapsed smile, making him appear older and less attractive.

Cosmetic consideration aside, this poor alignment, or malocclusion, if not treated, can result in serious health problems later in life, including tempro-mandibular joint (TMJ) pain and injury to the teeth and the jaw.

The next two photos show the result of Dr. Muslin's restorative and reconstructive treatments. What is remarkable is that the changes you see here were achieved without the use of traditional orthodontic methods (i.e., braces and retainers). Today, our young patient not only has a broader and more attractive smile, he enjoys greater dental health and a more comfortable bite.

Cosmetic Face Lift Dentistry

Dental Face Lift Methods

The fact is that everyone's teeth are subject to wear and tear over the course of a lifetime. If this is left untreated, the result is a smaller-looking mouth and a jaw line that doesn't look "quite right." The photo of our young patient taken prior to treatment shows how his mouth was in the early stages of collapse due to premature wear on his teeth.

Dr. Muslin's approach was to "raise" the bite in such a way that the patient's teeth would be restored to their natural alignment - resulting in a virtual facelift.

This was accomplished by manufacturing crowns and veneers from durable feldspathic porcelain, custom fitted to the patient, in order to recreate proper occlusion. Dr. Muslin uses the latest technology in order to assure the most perfect possible result; in this case, CAT scans were employed in order to insure that no serious TMJ issues developed over the course of treatment.

Notice the difference between the "before" and "after" photos. The smile in the lower photo is much more relaxed and natural.

The Dental Alternative to Cosmetic Surgery

Dr, Muslin's treatments are determined to a large extent by the desires of the patient in terms of results. In this close-up photo of the patient's dentition, you can see the specific problem areas that needed to be addressed in order for this young man to achieve the winning smile he wanted.

Dr. Muslin can be reached at (310) 829-6796 if you would like to learn more about his dental face-lift treatments.