Dr. Vince Avallone on the Facelift Effect of a Smile Makeover

Dr. Vince Avallone wants to share something with the world that he believes deserves far more attention than it gets: teeth can produce a genuine facelift effect. At Apa Aesthetic, where he treats patients in both Miami and New York City, Avallone regularly sees patients focused entirely on their smile. Many of these same patients also have mature skin, deepening nasolabial folds, and thinning lips, without realizing the solution to all three might be sitting in their bite.

Why the Bite Matters More Than Most Patients Realize

Many of Avallone's patients arrive assuming they need a filler appointment or a consultation with a plastic surgeon to address signs of aging around the lower face. Through a smile makeover built around porcelain veneers, Avallone is able to open a patient's bite, restoring what dentists call vertical dimension, the height between the upper and lower jaw when the teeth come together. As teeth wear down over decades, from grinding, acidic erosion, or simple daily use, that vertical height quietly decreases. The bite collapses. The chin edges closer to the nose, the lips lose support, and the nasolabial folds deepen. Those changes read as aging, but they often start as a dental problem.

Restoring that lost height does the opposite. Opening the bite lifts the skin, opens the smile, and changes the entire lower third of the face, without a single injection or incision.

The Results Patients Notice Immediately

Avallone hears the same reaction constantly: people who know his patients start asking what they did, unable to pinpoint exactly what changed. That's the effect of a function-first smile makeover done correctly. The transformation doesn't read as "new teeth." It reads as someone who simply looks younger, because the entire structural support beneath their lower face has quietly been rebuilt.

The science backs up what Avallone sees in his own chair. Research using 3D facial scans has found that increasing vertical dimension measurably changes total face height and the nasolabial angle. A 2025 study published in the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation found that even modest increases in bite height produced visible, evaluator-rated changes to facial appearance. Systematic reviews have also supported that permanent increases in vertical dimension, when clinically indicated, are safe and predictable.

Facially Driven Design, Applied to Teeth

Avallone brings a distinct perspective to this work: a collaborative approach with top plastic surgeons to design teeth to fit someone's entire facial structure. That dual lens, he says, is exactly what makes this connection between the bite and the face so obvious to him and so often overlooked by patients and providers alike. Where a plastic surgeon will address sagging skin or deepening folds directly, Avallone is addressing the same concerns from the structure underneath, treating the face and the smile as a single connected system rather than two separate problems.

That perspective also shapes how Avallone approaches collaboration. He works closely, hand in hand, with plastic surgeons to build smile makeovers that complement any surgical or injectable work a patient may also be pursuing, rather than treating dentistry and facial aesthetics as entirely separate specialties.

Patients searching for a cosmetic dentist can explore more physician-led cosmetic treatments across the Haute MD Network.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can veneers actually make someone look younger? Yes, according to Dr. Vince Avallone. By opening a patient's bite and restoring lost vertical dimension, a porcelain veneer smile makeover can lift sagging skin, soften nasolabial folds, and restore lip fullness, producing a visible anti-aging effect.

What is vertical dimension, and why does it matter for aging? Vertical dimension refers to the space between the upper and lower jaw when the teeth meet. As teeth wear down over time, that height decreases, causing the lower face to compress, which can deepen nasolabial folds and thin the lips in ways commonly mistaken for pure skin aging.

Is there scientific research supporting the connection between bite height and facial appearance? Yes. A 2025 study published in the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation used 3D facial scans to measure how increasing vertical dimension changes facial structure, finding visible, measurable changes to the nasolabial angle and lower face height.

Does Dr. Vince Avallone work with plastic surgeons? Yes. Avallone collaborates directly with plastic surgeons to design smile makeovers that complement a patient's broader facial aesthetic goals.

Where does Dr. Vince Avallone practice? Dr. Vince Avallone practices at Apa Aesthetic, treating patients in Miami and New York City, with an additional location planned to open soon.