Abstract
Aging is a dynamic process which involves the aging of soft tissue and bony structures. Facial aging shows changes in the shape, size, and volume of the soft tissues and bones of the face. Anti-Age dentistry focuses on soft tissue changes, particularly changes in the muscles, skin and loss of fat volume, the bony components of the face, the teeth and intra-oral soft tissues, which form the balance between the overall facial contour. As an anti age dental practitioner, it is paramount to have succinct knowledge with concerns regarding supervision, guidance, and correction of aging orofacial structures with dental rehabilitation.
Introduction
Aging is a natural inevitable process, every individual dreams to freeze this process and try and escape this phenomenon as much as possible. Recent development in anti-age dentistry have ensured that we can prolong the aging process or reduce the intensity of aging appearance.
Anti-Aging Dentistry consultation begins right from the time the patient walks into your practice, the consultant must analyse every aspect orofacial structure, not simply occlusion or the shade of the dentition. Simple prosthodontic correction procedures such as -
- Changing the size,
- Changing the shape or
- Changing the intrearch distance
of worn out dentition with
- crowns,
- veneers and
- implants
can easily
- smoothen wrinkles around the mouth,
- fill out the jaw line, or
- balance the appearance of smile
without undergoing temporary or permanent surgical procedures.
Anti-aging dentistry is often utilized as a way to cosmetically enhance the individual’s appearance and is rarely performed due to health concerns. Altering the appearance can be achieved by means of occlusal changes and or procedures such as whitening, full mouth rehabilitation with or without implants and prosthetic rehabilitation.
As a clinician, we are well aware of the chronological aging and the factors involved in aging process. Individual’s age is a primary risk factor for chronic diseases, mortality, and any impairments to systemic, functional or parafunction activities, sleep disorders as well as the neurological status . Thorough consideration and an understanding of patients nutritional, physical and psychological conditions along with systemic abnormalities and recognizing the oral implication and pharmacology of drug‐induced dental disease, contribute towards differentiating normal ageing and pathological ageing .
OSCAR – Criteria for dental assessment
When all pertinent clinical data is gathered, the clinician needs to work with the patient to establish the plan of care that best addresses the dental needs and the medical and functional limitations, given fiscal realities. Shay suggested a systematic approach to planning oral care for aging adults, which he called OSCAR and which he used to determine the needs of a specific patient.
The OSCAR scale is-
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