Understanding Aging Makes Beauty Timeless

How orthodontics, cosmetic and oral surgery enhance beauty

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The Take Home Message From Lance's Case

First, the change in approach to orthognathic surgery has been dramatic in the past few decades from what used to be considered a rather drastic procedure. Orthognathic treatment has now become easier to manage both during and following surgery. This fact allows it to be simultaneously coupled with other facial aesthetic procedures such as rhinoplasty, with fewer complications and comparatively uneventful recovery. Believe it or not, Lance was back in action, although slightly swollen, within a week of his surgery. And by using these treatment options in conjunction, other patients like Lance can also receive greatly enhanced aesthetic outcomes.

Understanding how the face and the underlying skeleton change through adolescence into adulthood has an enormous impact on how dentistry can create positive change.

All's Well That Ends Well

Aesthetic and cosmetic dentistry have expanded horizons with greater vision than ever before. Understanding how the face and the underlying skeleton change through adolescence into adulthood has an enormous impact on how dentistry can create positive change. Many of these problems have an orthodontic component and involve teamwork between a general dentist, an orthodontist, and an oral surgeon. Often the orthodontist will set the first stage of the process by aligning the teeth. Next, the surgeon aligns the jaws surgically so that they can be guided and retained in their new position. This requires an equally expanded diagnostic effort, taking into account all that is known about facial growth, maturation, and inevitably aging. But by taking all these considerations into account, an enlightened orthodontic and surgical team can even make aging work to their advantage so that patients receive a more harmonious and aesthetic change.