How Missing Teeth Affect Your Jawbone and Face
Losing a crown affects much more than your jawbone, facial structure and appearance.
Your oral health impacts cardiovascular health, diabetes management, respiratory health, nutrition, digestion and even your mental and emotional well-being.
Prioritizing routine checkups is the best way to stay on top of your oral health, especially if your crown falls off.
Can Tooth Loss Change Your Facial Appearance?
Losing a crown or tooth affects your facial appearance in several ways. The longer you go without visiting the doctor, the more noticeable the changes will become.
Jawbone Deterioration
Missing teeth lead to jawbone deterioration. This happens because the roots connected to a tooth play a crucial role in stimulating the jawbone.
When this stimulation stops, the jawbone in that area starts to resorb and break down. As time goes on, the jawbone will become less and less dense.
Jawbone deterioration not only affects facial structure but can also cause you to lose more teeth. It can even complicate future dental procedures and make it impossible to wear dental implants.
Facial Structure Changes
The more the jawbone deteriorates, the more the bone will weaken and recede.
The lower part of your face may appear shorter, giving you a prematurely sunken or aged appearance. It also causes extreme wrinkling and sagging around the mouth and cheeks.
Poor jawbone density can also cause the chin to move closer to the nose.
Some people notice major alterations in the symmetry of their faces. Such changes can significantly affect your self-confidence.
Shifting Teeth
As you lose teeth or crowns, you'll notice the adjacent teeth start to shift into the empty spaces. This can lead to misalignment issues, causing problems with your bite and potentially causing pain.
The adjacent teeth may even over-erupt one another, worsening the misalignment issue.
Failing to address the problem in a timely manner will result in a cascade of dental issues.
Treatment Options for Missing Teeth
Other possible outcomes of missing teeth include:
Difficulty eating
Speech problems
Increased risk of gum disease
There are several ways to fix missing teeth. Your options range from dental implants to bridges and more.
Dental implants make it possible to have a completely natural-looking smile. The dentist uses a surgical method to permanently place the implants in the jawbone. This takes away the appearance of missing teeth and stimulates the jawbone, preventing further deterioration.
Dental bridges work well for those who only have a few missing teeth. The prosthetic teeth anchor next to natural teeth, filling any gaps, stimulating the jawbone and giving you a completely natural smile.
Conclusion
Your dentist can help you decide which treatment option will work best for your specific dental needs.
Here at Noble Dental Care, we help patients with a wide range of dental services, including crown replacement, teeth cleanings, lumineers, teeth straightening and more. We even offer dental sedation and help those with sleep apnea, TMJ and full or partial dentures.
