Does tooth loss affect your facial structure? Hattiesburg MS Tooth loss can be frustrating for chewing, it can affect your speech, and with time, it can even affect the shape of your face. This is due to bone absorption, and it’s something that we can stop. Our team at Pine Belt Periodontics, PLLC can fill in your missing teeth, while supporting your bone, for a fuller, healthier smile. Missing teeth affects your jawbone. All of our bones require exercise to stay robust and healthy. Our jawbone receives this exercise through the transfer of energy from our teeth, to the root, to the bone. This is from chewing, or even just the many fleeting touches our teeth make from opening and closing our mouth throughout the day. When a tooth is missing, the root is also missing. This means that even if we place a false tooth using a dental bridge or denture, without the root there is no transfer of energy to the bone. When the bone is not exercised, it pulls in its resources, through a process known as absorption, and bulk is lost. An example of this can be seen on a person following the removal of a cast on an arm or leg; there is an obvious size difference to the uncasted appendage. Without the root, the jawbone can not receive the exercise it needs. Restoring Teeth with Dental ImplantWe can restore missing teeth by rebuilding the missing root. We can rebuild the root by placing a dental implant. Many patients believe that a dental implant is a tooth, but in reality it is the root that we can then attach a tooth, a dental bridge or even a denture to. A dental implant is a threaded post designed similarly to a screw in size and shape. It is available in both titanium or a non-metallic ceramic. We can surgically sink this post into the jawbone to establish the connection between the bone and tooth. As the bone heals, it will grow up and around the threaded portion of the implant, fusing the two firmly together. Once healed, this post can then serve as a new tooth root. With a new root in place, we can use this post to restore missing teeth. Depending on the work being done, we may need multiple posts. How Does a Dental Implant Help My Facial Structure?Dental implants restore the connection between the tooth and bone. This, along with a bone graft prior to placement, will help the patient restore bulk to their facial structure and keep it. Patients missing a single tooth may not see an observable difference, but patients missing multiple teeth will quickly notice changes to their facial shape. Their shape will appear smaller, and can even collapse. This is often a look that is associated with an older appearance. Having healthier bones will help you appear younger and more vibrant. We can help you achieve this look. For more information, contact our Hattiesburg office at (601) 264-2424. |
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