It turns out that more than any other objective factor, it is the subjective quality of another’s teeth, jaw structure and overall smile that gives our unconscious brain our best hint as to their social status and their age. How can that be?
Well, before modern medicine and dentistry, imagine the lives of typical human beings, from gathering nuts outside their huts in forests to farming land and shepherding livestock: life was over by forty, there was no real dental hygiene and the only solution to an infected tooth was to pull it. By the time a person got the end, you can imagine the state of their teeth, especially for those who dealt with chronic lack of food and nutrition. Fast forward a few millennia, and we now live two-to-three-times as long, have access to excellent food, clean water and modern healthcare, and as a result have so much to live for. But we still judge each other without meaning to, and – without the intervention of a true dental professional and artist – we’re not often far off in our judgments.
Of course, more important than the judgement of others is our judgement of ourselves – when you look in the mirror and see someone you no longer recognize, life starts to lose some of it’s glow. What if you’re also having trouble chewing, talking, smiling or even singing? How easy is it to feel vibrant about your life when you don’t want to take your hand away from your mouth, embarrassed by bad teeth or ill-fitting dentures that have collapsed your entire jaw inward?
Thankfully, Smiles4Oregon has an entire tool chest of skills, technology and techniques at the ready to keep life worth living. With over 30 years in practice, Dr. John Sullivan and his caring and professional team are singularly experienced at working with older patients in the area of geriatric dentistry treatment, undoing decades of bad genes and bad dentistry and restoring a life with every restored smile.
From modern dentures and bridges to conservative aesthetics in everything we do to placing and restoring dental implants to ongoing periodontal and hygiene treatment, we can keep you smiling – and for good reason – for life.
