The Future Of Beauty: “New Technologies That Can Improve Our Smiles” With Dr. Sam Muslin of Face Lift Dentistry
The beauty industry is improving the quality of our lives, which allows us to present ourselves with more confidence. What I appreciate about my method is that it has major health benefits that also greatly improve the quality of our lives “from the inside out, and from the outside in.”
As a part of our series about how technology will be changing the beauty industry over the next five years, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Sam Muslin.
Our eyes are magically drawn to symmetry represented in any type of artistry, natural or manmade — and especially in a person’s face. Symmetry is intrinsically beautiful, and balanced facial proportions accentuate natural beauty. Creator of the revolutionary Face Lift Dentistry® method, Dr. Sam Muslin is an entrepreneur on a singular mission to correct patients’ profile and bite. It was specifically designed to help individuals achieve their optimized level of natural aesthetic beauty without any drugs, Botox®, facial fillers, soft tissue surgeries, or chin implants. Decades ago, Muslin discovered that the lower jaw greatly determines the shape of the face, supports the lips, and defines the facial profile. He realized that repositioning the jaw could be a solution far superior to braces, drilling, and orthognathic surgery. Armed with this nugget of truth, he embarked on his professional career to improve patients’ lives.
Dr. Muslin is a highly-respected leader in his field and often makes media appearances. He has appeared on the American syndicated talk show television series “The Doctors” and has also been interviewed on the KTLA morning news. His patients are receiving far more than just gorgeous but natural-looking teeth. They also experience less stress in their jaw, optimal oral health, and more a youthful appearance in their entire face.
Dr. Muslin is a member of the American Dental Association, California Dental Association, the Academy of General Dentistry, earned Master of the Academy of General Dentistry, and was awarded by the International College of Dentists.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
I suppose you could call it an awakening — or a revelation. Regardless, it was a pivotal, career-defining discovery. I was in my senior year of dental school when it became apparent that the profession was basically patchworked denistry: fill this tooth or crown that one. The porcelain veneer approach neither corrects bites nor improves health. My patients crossed the entire age spectrum. The standard treatment for younger patients was orthodontic braces. I viewed those solutions as short-term fixes, as patients often had to undergo jaw surgery later in life — and even a second round of braces. I saw a common theme in nearly all of the seniors I treated; through the process of aging, their teeth had worn down. When tooth erosion occurs, faces actually shorten. This a serious problem that transcends appearance, because once the face becomes shortened, space inside the mouth shrinks. It gets crowded in there, leaving the tongue with precious little room. This creates a ripple effect that can interfere with sleep and also lead to tension and, occasionally, posture issues. The popular consensus was to perform jaw surgery to modify the jaw position and size. That’s such an invasive procedure! Braces and surgical options are painful and time-consuming. The only other alternative is to drill down all the healthy teeth for porcelain crowns and full-mouth reconstruction. To me, that was ridiculous. Now we are getting to my revelation moment. Instead of following the trend to perform patchwork dentistry, I envisioned — and eventually pioneered — a comprehensive non-invasive method of treatment that has all of the benefits and none of the pain, prolonged time, and risks associated with the other choices.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
In my early days, I treated a teenager who had a collapsed face and several missing teeth. Consequently, the shape of his face was out of balance; it was short and wide. My treatment was directed toward his teeth only. Then a year later, when the treatment ended, I noticed the shape of his face had completely changed. It was shocking! He had a new jawline and a very masculine chin. This simple procedure had transformed him into a beaming, handsome young man who exuded self-confidence. This transfiguration occurred without me having a clue that it was actually possible.
Are you able to identify a tipping point in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?
The tipping point occurred 43 years ago when I realized that patients’ stress, tension, and pain could be relieved, while simultaneously improving facial proportions by moving the jaw into it’s most natural and comfortable position. JawTrac® is a technology that locates the most functional jaw position, which is a prerequisite for reshaping a patient’s face, jawline, and profile — and subsequently, enhances the patient’s health. Further, it yields outstanding cosmetic benefits. Using JawTrac®, I implemented a quick, minimal-risk treatment plan that has been wildly successful.
Once I witnessed patients’ reactions to their new appearance — and how it had enhanced their lives — I stayed the course; this was confirmation that my life’s mission was to help individuals rise to a new plateau of natural beauty. Each patient has unique requirements and treatments. So for me, it became a form of scientific, functional art. It was artistic healthcare that improved structure and function concurrently. Patients with wider smiles feel comfortable with their new facial support and are eager to make more impressive first impressions. When individuals look their best, they resonate with self-confidence, discover and appreciate their authentic self, and feel more empowered and motivated to stretch themselves to tackle new challenges. This type of dentistry transforms a patient’s entire life, allowing them to project a more secure body image and self-confidence.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
During my first year of dental school, a fourth-year student invited me to accompany him to the dental clinic to see what he called ‘real dentistry.’ He knew that the extent of my clinical experience consisted of working on stone models. At first, I recall being very nervous about being caught on the premises by the instructors. As time progressed, I quickly began to understand how the clinic operated. This fellow student, who I didn’t know very well at the time, taught me the value of being graded by strict instructors because they force you to think harder. I’m grateful that he took me under his wing; the entire experience gave me a different perspective on working with patients. Thanks to him, I completed my four-year dental school requirements in only three!
Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. The beauty industry today has access to technology that was inconceivable only a short time ago. Can you tell us about the “cutting edge” (pardon the pun) technologies that you are working with or introducing? How do you think that will help people?
In the past decade alone, advancements in imaging technology, bonding technology, and stronger porcelains have helped make this method a winner. Dentistry can now create an artistic masterpiece that improves the health of the patient, while also giving them an enormous bonus: cosmetic benefits.
Three vital “cutting edge” components necessary for natural beauty with facial proportioning and profile enhancement are all part of one comprehensive treatment plan. It maximizes functionality and aesthetics for patients from teens to seniors in their 80s. In addition to its aesthetic benefits that eclipse anything veneers can offer, patients can now attain a vastly higher level of physiological health. This approach improves health, specifically providing TMJ relief, improves breathing, facilitates a restful night’s sleep, and alleviates head and neck discomfort.
JawTrac® is an avant-garde technology that locates patients’ most natural and optimal jaw position. It works when night guards, braces and aligners have failed. Instead of working within the limits of your teeth, it can surpass these limits by improving the design of teeth with beautiful, natural colored shape improvements. JawTrac® technology identifies and holds that jaw position by redesigning your teeth without the need to drill. It is a truly remarkable advancement in how bites are corrected, and pain is relieved. Part of our procedure is to allow the patient to test drive the new jaw position; they take it home and experience the difference themselves. This way, we are confident the new jaw position will produce the desired outcome before treatment ever begins. We also required a new non-invasive restoration with a precision fit to go over each individual tooth, allowing the patient to floss, brush, and chew normally. The greatest achievement with these custom restorations is that no dental drilling is performed on the natural healthy teeth. This cutting edge technology is called VENLAY® Bite Restorations.
JawTrac® and VENLAY® Bite Restorations are part of the exclusive Face Lift Dentistry® Method, which was designed to give patients a transformative experience. The health, cosmetic benefits, and comfort are a powerful trifecta that boosts self-confidence and enhances their natural beauty.
Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the “beauty-tech” industry?
- Everyone will age, but looking old is optional. One of my senior patients shared a story with us. Her granddaughter asked, “Grandma, you look really old, are you going to die soon?” We can’t slow down the age clock, but people shouldn’t allow aging to get in the way of letting their natural beauty shine. Optimizing beauty through dentistry has advantages over many other choices because teeth are hard tissues. Our unrivaled treatment supports the soft tissues of the face, improves the profile, and balances the lower, mid, and upper portions of the face. The best part is that there is little to no recovery time, and it can be a supplement to any other beauty enhancement treatment.
- Many teenagers with overbites and underbites have been told their only treatments are jaw surgery and braces. Self-esteem issues often arise when they wear braces for years. Now, thanks to this revolutionary approach, they have an option. Instead of accepting such a grim prognosis, they can have the facial features that are natural to them and dispense with the hardware.
- The beauty industry is improving the quality of our lives, which allows us to present ourselves with more confidence. What I appreciate about my method is that it has major health benefits that also greatly improve the quality of our lives “from the inside out, and from the outside in.”
Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest?
- 70-year-olds do not need to look like they are 30 to be beautiful.
- Too much emphasis is placed on “looking good” rather than “feeling good.”
- Everyone has the potential of having an optimal jaw position, but people are mostly not aware that this method of dentistry can exponentially improve their life, without discomfort, without drilling, without braces or aligners, and without surgery. Both the public at large, and medical professionals should be alerted to this possibility.
You are an expert about beauty. Can you share 5 ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”? (Please share a story or example for each.)
- Basic hygeine is so easy but people still lack the discipline to habitually follow these procedures. Floss, brush and water floss before going to bed and as soon as you wake up. When we clean our teeth before going to sleep, we cut off the food supply to the bacteria that causes painless gum disease. The ripple effect is bad breath and swollen gums around the teeth. A patient once said, “I never thought about doing it before bedtime. I only brush in the morning.” Basic hygiene is something we do because we care about ourselves. Another patient claimed she did not have time to do it in the morning. I said, “Then go ahead and floss, brush and water floss in the morning and skip doing your hair. That will save time.”
- It only takes one minute to floss, one minute to brush and one minute to water floss. That’s it. Three minutes to complete one of the single most important areas of your health, breath and smile. One of my teenage Face Lift Dentistry® patients simply would not do this. I saw her three years after the completion of the treatment and her gums were swollen. I repeated my recommendations — just as though I was giving her a “stock tip” rather than a lecture. Still, she wouldn’t follow my instructions. Five years passed and I saw her again. Once more, I repeated my “stock tip” pitch, reminding her of the tremendous benefits. On the next visit, she finally admitted, “I have been doing what you said and I noticed that my breath does not stink in the morning.”
- Brush your gums and teeth at the same time. It’s important to place half of the toothbrush bristles on our gums and half on the tooth structure — at the gumline — and gently brush that area. We need to remove the “sticky biofilm” on the gums and teeth with the brush. Otherwise, bacteria will thrive there. One of my patients said, “My dentist told me not to brush my gums because it may cause recession.” My response is to gently brush your gums to break up the “biofilm” to prevent gum infections. Do not be so vigorous that you damage the gums. Red gums that are even a little bit swollen detract from a magnificient smile.
- I do not recommend toothpicks, nor interproximal brushes. However, I am aware that many dentists do. My reasoning is too many people damage the papilla by forcing it down, causing a dark hole between our teeth. The papilla is the tiny piece of gum tissue that fits between our teeth. Patients who are too vigorous with toothpicks and interproximal brushes can smash the papilla, causing “black triangles” between our teeth that become food particle reservoirs. It is extremely unsightly when people use toothpicks during dinner and flash a smile. They don’t know how unattractive it is. In order to feel beautiful, you need to look the part and the gumline is a critical component to a natural smile.
- Water Flossers are extremely enjoyable. With all of my Face Lift Dentistry® patients (which comprise 95% of my dental practice) I give them a complimentary portable water flosser that is charged with a USB plug. It travels easily and requires only a small space. And it keeps a charge for about a month. The patient receives complete instructions on how to use it — how to keep it moving and aim it directly at the gumline. The patients enjoy it, and results are incredible. The water flosser is your rinse cycle just like the dishwasher’s rinse cycle. You floss first, and then brush to break up the biofilm; then you flush it away with warm water. No wine, no mouthwash, no beer. Just water. That’s all you need. Your breath is pleasant, the gums heal, and the teeth remain white.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
A myriad of people, political leaders, CEOs, affluent bachelors, and public speakers always have an audience. It could be an audience of one or millions, but they silently judge these individuals by their appearance. That includes judging them by how they look when they open their mouths to speak. Nonverbal attempts are judged, as well. When a person in a prominent position or an individual on a first day attempts to give a warm, winning smile. Marketing can be deceiving, as they have the masses believe that all it takes to clinch a deal or make a favorable impression is with a fancy car or a designer outfit. Some say the crowning act is to flash a mouthful of bulky porcelain veneers. To that, I answer with a resounding: No, it’s not. It’s having your lower jaw and chin in the most natural position, with a balanced facial profile and an optimized bite. Changes are powerful, whether subtle or transformational. One of my elderly patients said that, after her treatment, a close friend commented on how good she looked. However, she couldn’t pinpoint what had changed. My patient replied, “I changed hairdressers.” To that, her friend said, “Oh. That must be it.” This is the real magic of natural beauty and Face Lift Dentistry.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
When I was 18, I worked as a mechanic at a local gas station. One day, when my boss saw my car, he said bluntly, “You are an idiot! You waste your money on a fast car rather than owning the best car out there.” He refused to tell me the name of the car he was referring to; I had to solve that mystery on my own. I concluded it was a car that was not built for speed nor one that served as an “inadequacy eradicator.” It was a basic vehicle that provided a purpose without flash or ego — and without a high price tag that would cause sticker shock. It took a while, but I finally solved it. That eliminated one area of my life in which I was classified as an idiot! Recently, one of my affluent patients saw me driving my Chevy. The next time she was in the office, she said, “You should be driving a Mercedes.” I responded, “I only need to impress you in one place, and that is with the work that I deliver in this dental office.”
How can our readers follow you online?
Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.
The Future Of Beauty: “New Technologies That Can Improve Our Smiles” With Dr. was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.