A startling fact many people are unaware of is that when you lose teeth, your jawbone begins to deteriorate. Your body reabsorbs bone mass that’s no longer needed to support your smile, and in time, this can impact everything from your dental health to your facial structure. Fortunately, your dentist can rebuild your grin with dental implants to mitigate possible damage.
It’s natural to worry about how your appearance will be impacted if you’ve lost one or more pearly whites. Continue reading to learn about 3 changes that can occur and how dental implants can help!
#1- Sinking Structure
Your jawbone plays an essential role in shaping your visage and as it begins to weaken after tooth loss, it can no longer support the structure of your face. If it’s no longer capable of sustaining its own height and strength, then your cheekbones won’t have the support they need and can also start to sink. This lowers your facial height and changes the proportions of your features. For example, your nose can appear larger in comparison to how it used to.
Dental implants consist of titanium posts that are surgically inserted into your jawbone that eventually will hold your final restoration. Fortunately, the support rod that’s placed in the gap left by your missing teeth functions like a root. Whenever you bite down or chew, it stimulates your jaw to keep it active. This prevents the facial collapse that usually happens with tooth loss.
#2- Altered Alignment
When you have gaps in your grin, your remaining teeth naturally shift to try to fill in the holes. This can be dangerous because they’ll sustain uneven wear and tear that leaves them more vulnerable to injury. In addition to that, your slowly deteriorating jawbone can become misaligned because as it shrinks, your pearly whites will no longer meet where they’re supposed to when your mouth is closed. This can cause the corners of your mouth to lose their defined shape, making you look unhappy or angry without even realizing it.
Your teeth have no need to move out of their natural placements if you have dental implants placed, so this becomes less of a concern.
#3- Sagging Skin
If your teeth and jaw come out of alignment, the muscles behind your lips and cheeks are no longer supported and will also start to collapse. Unfortunately, the pull of gravity on your skin causes additional vertical lines and wrinkles that can make you look older than you are. Dental implants can preserve a more youthful appearance because they keep your jaw healthy, so the attached muscles have a firm foundation.
If you’re suffering from tooth loss and want to avoid these issues, contact your dentist for an implant consultation today!
About the Practice
You and your entire family can trust that your smile is in good hands when you visit Waterford Dental Group. They have a team of general, pediatric, and specialty dentists who work together to provide all your oral healthcare needs, so you don’t have to find multiple providers. They have advanced technology onsite to perform each step of the dental implant process in-house, including the surgical component. Their digital imaging and impressions allow them to improve patient comfort while simultaneously increasing the accuracy of their treatment results. If you’d like a consultation, you’re welcome to request an appointment on the website or by calling (925) 803-5888.