Often enough, people who lose teeth worry most about the impact on their smiles. Their thoughts (rightly) go to unsightly smile gaps, damaged oral tissues, and so on. That said, your grin isn’t the only thing affected by missing teeth; tooth loss changes your face shape after a while. To keep yourself from looking much older, you’ll need to address the situation with dental implants. If you’d like to learn more, here’s a primer on these matters from your local Westbury dentist.
Tooth Loss = Jaw Loss
Tooth loss certainly harms your oral health; that isn’t in question. However, the condition also affects your face by slowly weakening your jaw.
On top of their other roles, teeth maintain your jawbone’s shape. Chewing with a full set of them stimulates your jaw, ensuring the latter’s tissue is strong and dense. That means losing teeth will eventually make your jaw shrink and erode. As this process continues, you may even suffer a facial collapse that makes your face look sunken, weathered, and old.
Dental Implants “Restore” Your Face
If there’s any good news, it’s that you can avoid the face-related effects of tooth loss. Doing so is just a matter of getting some quality dental implants.
Remember, dental implants work by fusing with your jaw. This “osseointegration” prompts new bone tissue to grow and hold the posts in place. Given such fusion, implants provide your jawbone with the stimulation it sorely needs. They’ll thus keep (or make) your face full and firm as you frequently chew and bite with them.
The only wrinkle is that you need healthy gum and jaw tissues to get dental implants. So, please consult your dentist before you commit to the treatment process.
Caring for Face-Restoring Implants
While dental implants have face-restoring effects, those only “kick in” if you care for your posts. You should thus maintain your treatment results by doing the following:
- Keep a Clean Mouth – Your dental implants could fail if nearby teeth and gums get infected. To keep that from happening, brush twice daily and floss once daily.
- Quit Bad Oral Habits – In truth, bad oral habits like smoking, nail biting, and ice chewing can cause implant failure. You ought to quit such practices as soon as possible.
- See a Dentist Often – Through regular dental checkups, a dentist can diagnose and treat issues that might harm your implants someday.
Tooth loss changes face shape, but this effect isn’t set in stone. Prevent or reverse it by getting dental implants soon!
About the Practice
Westbury Dental Spa is based in Westbury, NY. Led by a trio of terrific dentists, our practice provides comfortable, spa-like dentistry for patients of all ages. That means we’re a great source of preventive, cosmetic, and even restorative dental work, with results always tailored to your grin’s needs. Whatever your family’s smile troubles, rest assured – our team can and will help! For more details or to book a visit, please contact us on our website or by phone at (516)-282-5100.