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beauty
midlife beauty
mastery
Ch-Ch-CHANGES!
PROBLEM Your teeth are losing their sparkle
After 40, enamel thins (if only the same were true of our
waists!), allowing the yellow dentin underneath to show
through. So what’s a gal to do? Plenty. Check out these tips
BRIGHT IDEAS
Don’t get too thin
Losing enamel is inevitable as you age, but you can
minimize the damage by
avoiding things that accelerate the process. “I tell
my patients to use an electric toothbrush or a regular brush with soft bristles,”
says Jennifer Jablow, DDS,
a New York City cosmetic
dentist. “Any brush that’s
labeled medium or hard
is too abrasive.” You should
also watch your intake
of acidic food and drink
(such as coffee and wine),
says Jamie Sands, DDS, a
Hollywood dentist.
Clean before you bleach
If you’re thinking about
a whitening treatment,
try to time it to fall right
after your six-month
cleaning. That way there’s
no plaque or tartar to
interfere with the bleaching process, and you’ll
avoid problems with cavi-ties. “If you try to whiten
a decaying tooth, the peroxide will sink into the
cavity and make its way
to the nerve, causing
damage—not to mention
PROP STYLIST: ETHAN TOBMAN FOR ARTMIXBEAUTY.COM
56 more.com | OCTOBER 2009
PHO TOGRAPHED BY Jamie Chung
