How do missing teeth affect my facial structure?
When you have a missing tooth, this has a profound impact on your facial structure and there is a lot more going on than you might think.
Your jawbone requires constantly stimulation so that its density and form can be maintained. All day, everyday your teeth make constant contact with each other and this helps to encourage the bone to rebuild itself continuously, which is how your jawbone is maintained. So when a tooth is lost, this stimulation cannot occur in the area where the tooth has been lost and the height, width and volume of the alveolar bone is lost. In fact, according to DearDoctor, there is a 25% decrease in the width of bone during the first year of tooth loss and up to a total of 4 millimetres in height over subsequent years.
Gum tissue also begins to decrease and as this occurs, it impairs your ability to chew and speak- if more teeth are lost, function is also impaired. Once the alveolar bone becomes lost, the bone that lies underneath (called the basal bone), begins to resorb which will affect how your face appears, causing a ‘drooping’ look. Lack of teeth also causes the tongue to spread into the face, causing the face to collapse.
Missing teeth also make it more difficult to break down foods correctly and prevent you from absorbing the vitamins and nutrients from foods correctly.
Finally, when you have a missing tooth, the vacant space easily collects harmful bacteria in the form of plaque and tartar. If this is left to collect overtime, it can lead to gum disease and tooth decay as well as periodontitis.
Dental implants for replacing missing teeth
Dental implants are the next best thing to a real tooth and are made from titanium. Dental implants fuse with your jawbone and become a permanent part of your body.
If you would like more information about types of treatment to replace missing teeth here at Arden House, please do not hesitate to contact us.
