Dental Implants and Facial Structure
By: Kirkland Premier Dentistry
Tags: Dentistry, Dental Care, Dentist, Dental Implants, Dental

Most of us realize that one or several missing teeth can negatively impact how we look but few of us understand how significant the change can be.

Losing a permanent tooth can alter your whole facial structure due to the resorption that occurs with the loss of teeth.

Implant-supported dentures have many benefits. These dentures do not move around in your mouth as you chew and are more comfortable to wear.

But one of the biggest benefits is the fact that these dentures can preserve and can even restore your facial structures.

Replacement of even one tooth helps in the long-term conservation of the looks than the other tooth-replacement methods.

Lips and smiles regain their youthfulness and attractiveness with dental implants.

Wrinkles can appear around the mouth or the whole lower third of the face can slowly collapse due to bone loss if multiple teeth are missing.

Where implants can help to virtually eliminate these problems, they can also improve speech capability, make eating and chewing easier, increase self-esteem and improve overall oral health.

Resorption

Calcium is a precious resource needed by bones to prevent bone loss.

When the body thinks that your jawbone is no longer doing its designated task, it leaches calcium from the jaw to utilize elsewhere in the body.

The tooth loss leads to the process of resorption because the teeth provide constant stimulation to the bone.

In absence of that stimulation, the body thinks that the jawbone has lost its purpose and is no longer useful.

Negatively affecting the appearance of a patient’s facial structure, this bone loss causes many people with tooth loss to have a hollow facial impression, which can considerably affect the look of the face.

The chin appears to be smaller as it is critical to keep the jaw strong to maintain facial appearances as the jawbone can make the most substantial impact on how you look.

Maintaining its strength and keeping it intact is important for your appearance.

Dental implants can help substantially in this aspect after you have lost one or several teeth.

Dental Implants Usefulness

Placing dental implants is implanting a titanium post under the gums and securing it to the jawbone.

The body’s reaction to titanium is similar to that of natural matter.

Once the implant is secure and as you eat, the implant moves in the jawbone ever so slightly providing stimulation that tells the body that the jawbone is useful.

The body then stops the reabsorption of the bone and begins to put bone around the implant. This process is known as osseointegration.

The process can take many months and you can wear a temporary denture during this time.

The implant gradually starts to stimulate the jawbone from day one, immediately stopping the resorption process.

The new tooth is secured to an abutment that is attached to the implant at a later stage.

The entire process is worth the time it takes because of the long-term advantages of having a strong replacement tooth giving you the same stability that you have with your natural teeth.

Basically, the implant acts as a new root for your replacement tooth.

Relevance of Timely Action

The teeth need immediate replacement after you lose them. You can anticipate a 25 percent loss of the width of your bone within the first year of the tooth loss.

This can be prevented by taking timely action. Call our clinic the same day that your tooth falls out. There is a possibility of reattaching it in some cases.

Otherwise, we can prepare to replace it. Performed under anesthesia you do not feel anything of the implant procedure.

This makes the entire process very comfortable. The gums can be painful for a few days after and you need to eat soft foods. However, you will feel completely normal within a week.

Bottom line

Loss of teeth can lead to resorption or depletion of calcium from the bones leading to sagging of the facial structure.

Dental implants can help regain the structure of the face and its aesthetics. Dr. Gaurav Sharma at Kirkland Premier Dentistry can help you regain the shape of the face and your confidence.

Dr. Gaurav Sharma has more than 400 hours of continuing education credits for dental implant training, so you can be sure of being in safe hands.

Kirkland Premier Dentistry also provides emergency dentistry services at Kirkland.

Original content published on Kirkland Premier Dentistry