2019-05-01+The+Australian+Womens+Weekly

128 The Australian Women’s Weekly | MAY 2019

Beauty

PROBLEM: Gum

recession, due

to thin gums or

brushing too hard.

SOLUTION:

Prevention is best.

In some cases

laser or surgery

may help.

PROBLEM: Clenching

and grinding

(Bruxism) wears

down teeth.

SOLUTION: A custom

plastic night guard

to protect teeth.

Botox can halt

clenching but may

affect your smile.

PROBLEM: Crowded,

crooked teeth and a

misaligned bite can

develop at any age.

SOLUTION: Braces,

which come in clear,

white or metal. Or

clear, removable

aligners.

There are lots of new and novelsmile

brighteners, including mobileteeth

whitening (Sparkling White Smile,

from $300) and dinky DIY blue

lights (HiSmile Teeth Whitening

Kit, $79.99, pictured). It’s allfun,

but what works?

Dr Reuben Sim, from Dental

Boutique in Melbourne, notesthat

“only registered dental professionals

can administer more then 6 percent

hydrogen peroxide, so they givethe

best results. Plus, research suggests

that in-chair whitening by dentists

may increase the strength of enamel,

making it more resistant to erosion

from acid.” Who knew?

vs gimmicks

esmile

ewind

ilescontinueto

e throughoutlife,

a littleyellowing,

ringandgum

sion.Yetsomeof

soseecrowding

e firsttimein our

s or50s.“Many

mennoticethe

ocialsix’(thefront

erandlowerteeth

seewhenwesmile)

becomingcrooked

er seeingoldphotos.

It happensbecause

r teethdrifttowards

themidlineofour

face,”saysDrNicole

Kaplan.Realigning

teethcanrewindyour

smilebyyearsand

nobodyhastoknow

you’redoingit. “Clear

aligners(suchas

Invisalign)areincredibly

powerfulin thecorrect

hands,”adds

DrKaplan.“Theresults

areonparwithbraces

andsincethey’re

removable,theydon’t

interferewithyour

lifestyle or with oral

hygiene. It’s much

harder to keep teeth

clean with braces and

you should avoid hard

foods like whole raw

apples and chewy

foods like gummies.

Yet there are no

restrictions with

aligners.” To keep

your smile at its best,

Dr Kaplan also suggests

asking your dentist

for signs of night-time

grinding, and brushing

gently, so as not to

expose the yellow

dentine at the

gumline.

Toothpastes,

strips and kits

These relatively affordable at-home
options can help remove stains,
maintain brightness or freshenteeth
a touch – just don’t expect miracles.
“Most do-it-yourself options needto
be used for up to two weeks and
contain low concentrations ofactive
whitening ingredients, so the results
are limited,” says Brisbane cosmetic
dentist Dr James Malouf. “Avoidvery
abrasive toothpaste, which can
wear down enamel if overused.
And take care with mouth guards
which, if not fitted properly, can cause
uneven whitening or gum sensitivity.”
Cost: $10-80.

Dentist

treatments

Aftera check-upandclean,

yourdentistappliesthehighly

concentratedsolutionandmay

activateit witha bluelight.In

onehouryou’llwalkoutwith

whiterteeth.Contrarytopopular

myth,“peroxidedoesnotcomprom

enamel,”saysDrMarkNieh,ofMy

SmileCosmeticDentistry,Sydney.

“However,it doespenetratethe

toothsurfacetooxidisestainsand

mayirritatethenervetissue,makin

teethsensitivetemporarily.”

Cost:$600-1000.

Customkits

Yourdentistcancustom-makea

bleachingtrayforyoutouseathome.

“Wecanmatchthegeltoyourlifestyle,

whetheryoupreferovernightwearor

one-hourdaytimewear,”saysDrNieh.

“Ittakes1-2weeksforresultsbutit’sour

preferredmethodbecauseit’sprecise

andit works.It’salsocost-effective,

convenient,andusuallysensitivity-free.”

Cost:$300-650.

Didyouknow?“Carbamide

peroxide, used in professional teeth

whitening, was originally issued to

help prevent tooth decay during

research in the 1980s,” says Dr David

Lin, abc-dental.com.au

LONG IN

THE TOOTH GRINDING MOVEMENT

TOOTH

SHAPE

PROBLEM:

Irregular shape,

size or colour.

SOLUTION:

Veneers, though

these are costly

and need to be

replaced every

10-20 years.

T

re

Our

chan

with

reces

usa

r

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