Most women over the age of 40 have a common concern -- and that is aging and having their looks change. One of the stats from the "Fixodent Beauty & Aging Survey" that I found most interesting was that women over the age of 40 are most likely to say that their smile is the first physical feature that people notice about them. Not their gray hairs. Not their aging eyes. Not their sagging derrieres. But their smiles!

Smiling is a topic that can be very frightening for new denture wearers. But once they've adjusted to living with dentures, their new smile will start to feel like their own. The difference, which at first may appear to be glaring them in the face, is not obvious to others. However, as they get used to wearing their dentures, their new pearly whites will eventually help them feel more confident, with a smile that appears healthy and natural. Matter of fact, 67 percent say they smile more often since getting dentures!

Now, I know dentures are not often talked about, as it is rather a taboo beauty word. But when you think about it, it was just about 10 years ago when we would never speak of Botox or even admit we'd had it. We also never mentioned hair loss or breast implants or bikini waxes -- at one point; these were all taboo subjects too. And look at where we are today! Women are discussing topics about aging more openly with one another and are sharing information. We are even devoting full sections of our beauty magazines to dealing with these topics. Women today have a laundry list of gripes from here to eternity about aging. However, the obvious truth is that no matter what we do -- if we get a face lift or if we get our eyes done -- we're just going to continue to age, thankfully! And with such, we're going to have to continue dealing with all of it! Therefore, I think it is about time that we bring the subject of dentures into the world of beauty.

It is very important to share information amongst ourselves regarding this topic. Women who are wearing dentures, or are facing it as a real possibility soon, need to be comforted by the fact that they are not dealing with it alone. There is no reason that many women need to live in fear of doing something as simple as eating with dentures in public.