What Is the Role of Dentures in Facial Structure and Appearance?

Losing your pearly whites is nerve-wracking. When you have missing teeth can alter the quality of your life. Not only are the gaps aesthetically unappealing, but your speech, chewing, and even your facial structure will be affected.

There are many reasons why you have lost your teeth that range from extractions to trauma – irrespective of the reason; you need to deal with the issue immediately to avoid further complications.

That’s why we have treatments such as implants and dentures in Mesquite, TX, to help restore your smile to its former glory. But before we check out how dentures can alter your facial structure and appearance, let’s see what happens when you lose teeth.

What Happens When You Have Missing Teeth?

Your jawbone was designed for chewing. Without teeth, the jawbone won’t perform as it was designed. Your natural teeth are embedded in the alveolar bone (the portion of the jawbone that anchors the teeth). The alveolar bone needs stimulation that arises from chewing.

So, jawbone deterioration may occur when you lose a tooth or teeth and don’t visit our Mesquite, TX dentists near you to receive treatment. In other words, the jawbone will begin to break down and resorb. The body simply receives the message that the mouth doesn’t need the jawbone, so it deteriorates and disappears.

The amount of bone that deteriorates and the rate at which bone deterioration occurs depends on the individual. But deterioration for some people may occur 18 months after extraction.

Some of the things that you may face will include:

Sagging Face

You will notice that most people who have lost more than one tooth have a sagging face. The teeth play another role besides chewing; they maintain the facial structure. So, when tooth and bone are lost, the cheeks and facial muscles have nothing to “hang on to,” so they sag.

Sunken Lips

Another issue that you may face has sunken lips. The “excess” tissue will not all sag. But some of it will fold in around your mouth. The result will be cheeks and lips rolled inward. You will have a sunken appearance around your mouth.

In some cases, you might be unable to close your lips properly, leading to leakages at the side of the mouth, causing irritation and infection.

Sagging or Witch’s Chin

Remember that the jawbone can lose volume even around the chin area. Your chin’s shape depends on the fat, bone, and muscles around the area. When the jawbone deteriorates, the muscle attachments change, causing the fat and muscles to move downward, thus creating a sagging chin or witch’s chin.

How Do Dentures Alter Your Appearance?

Losing your teeth will do a lot of damage to your oral health and facial structure. But the good news is that losing your teeth is not the end of the story, especially when we have dentures and implants in Mesquite, TX.

When our Mesquite, TX dentists near you place a dental implant in your jawbone, it will integrate with the jawbone. The integration process takes about three to six months, which ends when the implant post and the jawbone are one. The moment the implant fuses with the jawbone, bone loss ceases.

Once our dentist places the dentures, your appearance will immediately change. Properly fitting dentures will align your natural teeth to ensure the jawbone is in place. The dentures will also aid in supporting the muscles and fat that were sagging due to lack of support.

Besides enhancing your facial appearance, dentures stimulate the jawbone, which ends bone loss.

Types of Dentures to Choose From

Dental technology is always evolving, and as such, many patients get to enjoy better services. That’s why you get to choose the type of denture that suits your needs. Your options are:

• Complete Dentures – these are the go-option for patients missing all their teeth. Complete dentures are further divided into two: conventional and immediate dentures.
• Partial Dentures – you can use this option when replacing only a few missing teeth. Partial dentures are divided into partial removable and partial fixed dentures.
• Implant Dentures – these dentures are by far the best since they are placed on dental implants. So they are stable and permanent.

The bottom line is that dentures will alter your facial structure and make you look better than when you had missing teeth. Contact us at Mesquite Dental Solutions to schedule an appointment.