When you suffer tooth loss, several things occur. One of the lesser-known effects of tooth loss is the loss of bone mass in your jaw. Your teeth provide stimulation for your jawbone, which tells your body to send essential nutrients that are required for the strength of your jaw. Following tooth loss, you lose stimulation in your jaw. This loss of stimulation means fewer nutrients are sent, which causes the bone to weaken, or resorb. This alters the shape of the jaw, which can impact the alignment of healthy teeth as well as the appearance of your face. Traditionally, missing teeth have been replaced with dentures. Despite being able to restore many of the functions of your missing teeth, dentures cannot stop bone loss in your jaw. Your jawbone continues to weaken and change shape, even though your teeth have been replaced. Eventually, your dentures will no longer fit properly. Ill-fitting dentures can actually expedite bone resorption in your jaw as well as cause gum resorption.