Cosmetic Face and Smile Lifts
Santa Monica
Face Lift Dentistry ® is an unusual concept but indeed is a cosmetic outcome experienced by some patients. As can be seen in this photo, this woman's smile seems to consist only of her lower teeth.
What is particularly unusual about this case is that the woman is unable to smile normally. Frustrated by dentists unable to help her in her native country of Singapore, she flew in to seek consultation with Dr. Muslin.
Her entire family, including grandchildren, were strongly supportive of her goal to obtain a smile she has never been able to have before. Some family members weren't even sure if she had upper teeth. She said she wanted her smile "fixed."
Smile Lift Reconstruction
The close-up photo shows a partially sunken smile due to underlying structural deficits. Her desired cosmetic outcome consisted of 3 major goals:
- Upper teeth that would show when smiling
- Getting rid of silver clasps on the lower teeth
- Obtaining the brightest of white teeth possible.
The core treatment consisted of addressing certain TMJ issues that seemingly caused her to be "smile-less." Careful attention to detail was maintained while the patient's bite and temporomandibular joint was adjusted and realigned.
Since speech is directly affected by bite and alignment factors, Dr. Muslin used the patient's ability to properly create the "S" sounds to monitor her adjustment to the new bite and occlusion relationships. With this functional phase successfully accomplished, the patient was ready for the aesthetic dental procedures.
Each and every tooth was reconstructed individually by Dr. Muslin. The use of precision hand-crafted ceramic components enabled us to establish the structure needed to support normal upper lip appearance.
The ceramist and Dr. Muslin worked closely with the patient to assure that her new teeth and resulting smile would proportionally fit her face, lips, and overall jaw function. Bite and occlusion issues were continually monitored throughout the reconstuction process.
Normal Upper Lip Support without Plastic Surgery
The "after" photo is quite dramatic and shows the dazzle that is possible with makeover reconstructive dentistry.
Dr. Muslin and his ceramist succeeded in creating a smile the patient never had before.
Before and After Comparison
The upper lip structure has normal appearance and function. The upper lip moves naturally up and over her new upper teeth.
Our patient and her family were quite pleased with the outcome of this reconstruction effort. She achieved all of her goals. Her smile is brilliantly white, the silver clasps are gone forever and her upper teeth show without effort... and beautifully too.
Makeover dentistry is comprised of a wide range of procedures and advanced dental materials. Our office has access to every known dental technology that enables Dr. Muslin to successfully treat dental needs that are thought by many to be impossible to achieve.
Contact us at (310) 829-6796 to learn what procedures can be combined for you to achieve the dental function or dental aesthetics you are seeking.