Ben and Gary Show - Episode 69

Dentistry Or Plastic Surgery?

Which Makes You Look Youngest?

Gary, Ben and Dan are joined by special guest, Armando Retana, MD, DDS. Dr. Retana is a plastic surgeon, a maxillofacial surgeon, and an oral surgeon. His practice is Capital Center for Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery.

So what makes us look old?

Four things make us look older

• Loss of soft tissue volume in the face
• Shrinkage of the bony supporting structures in the face
• Loss of collagen and elastin
• Gravity

But the supporting structure of teeth counts most. If you have ever seen anyone remove their dentures, you have witnessed how the absence of teeth age the face.

How young can cosmetic dental and plastic procedures make you look? 

This may surprise you but Armando, who is expert in both soft tissue and hard, bony support structures, tells us this.

• With a face lift, you can look ten years younger
• With repair to the supporting bony structures, you can look ten, fifteen, or twenty years younger

There are many options to stave off father time. 

Is it worth it?

The docs all agree that repairs of soft and hard tissues of the face give patients joy and confidence. It makes the docs happy too.