Missing teeth can make it difficult to do a variety of tasks. Things as simple as chewing your food, speaking clearly, and smiling without feeling self-conscious become challenging. Something that many people don’t think about is the way that missing teeth affect the structure of the face. In fact, the face shape can completely transform. Continue reading to learn more about how this happens and what you can do about it.
How Does Tooth Loss Change Your Face Shape?
If you have a missing tooth or two in your mouth, you may not give it much thought – especially if it isn’t in the front of your mouth. However, all of your teeth are important when it comes to the shape and structure of your face. If you are missing a tooth in the back of your mouth, it may not affect your ability to chew or speak very much, but your jawbone will feel the effects.
When there are no longer tooth roots stimulating the jawbone in an area, it starts to be reabsorbed by the body. Missing any number of teeth will result in atrophy of the jawbone. When the jawbone becomes too weak and fragile, it won’t even be able to support dental implants. The only options at this point are traditional dentures or bone grafting.
How Does Facial Collapse Occur?
When your jawbone atrophies over the years from missing teeth, it will eventually no longer be able to support the structure of the face, resulting in collapse. This means that you will notice a sunken or shorter appearance to your face. This also affects the muscles around your lips, causing them to weaken and become wrinkled. This can add decades to one’s appearance. Over time, the amount of space between the nose and chin may decrease, changing the appearance of your face.
How Can You Prevent Jawbone Loss?
To prevent the jaw from atrophying, the roots of the missing teeth need to be replaced. Currently, the only tooth replacement option available that replaces the roots of the missing teeth is dental implants. They stimulate bone growth and prevent additional jawbone loss. This helps to prevent facial collapse due to bone loss.
If you are missing teeth, don’t wait for bone loss to progress before you replace them. Instead, consider asking your dentist about replacing your missing teeth with dental implants. This way, you can preserve the health of your smile and integrity of your face.
About the Practice
At Unique Dental of Putnam, Dr. Moaz Zanbarakji and Dr. Yazan Zakhem work together to treat patients in the Putnam community. If you are missing teeth, they would be happy to help! To learn more about dental implants and other tooth replacement options, or to schedule a consultation, visit their website or call (860) 928-4352.