You visit the dentist to achieve and maintain a beautiful smile, right? You want your smile to be a healthy, attractive feature that you are proud to share with the world around you. Well, what if your teeth and gums are perfectly healthy, yet the area around your mouth is detracting from your smile? Are your facial expressions, “resting face,” or first impressions really saying what you want them to?
One of the most prominent signs of aging of the face is the area around the mouth. The “parentheses,” or marionette lines, around the mouth are the creases in your skin that run vertically outside the corners of your mouth. It is ironic that the marionette lines that are often associated with the appearance of frowning are actually most commonly caused by years of smiling. When you smile, the facial muscles pull the cheeks up higher near the eyes and “pinch” the skin around your mouth to form a smile. While it is most certainly admirable to be proud of your “laugh lines” and any wrinkles that have been acquired from a life well lived, many people still find themselves self-conscious about any lines on their face that make them appear older than they truly are or give off an unfriendly impression to others. Continue reading “Erase That Frown!”