Any time you lose a tooth, it detracts from the appearance of your smile. But what if that tooth isn’t necessarily visible to everyone else? It can still significantly impact the way you look, particularly because tooth loss triggers bone resorption (shrinkage.) And bone loss makes your face look older than it really is. Thankfully, dental implants can help.
Bone Loss and Your Facial Profile
Once a tooth is extracted or falls out, the bone in that immediate location begins to shrink. As that bone shrinks, it collapses the anatomical support that fills in the spaces behind your lips and cheeks. Ultimately if enough bone is lost, your facial features will begin to shrink-in and appear much more aged than you actually are.
But…if you replace those missing teeth with dental implants, you can counteract the bone resorption process.
Dental Implants and Osseointegration
Osseointegration is a natural process where your body forms a thin layer of new bone around a dental implant. The integration process is what makes implant treatment so successful, allowing them to last a lifetime. However, it also helps to counteract the premature aging that you would typically see with missing teeth.
As integration occurs around your newly placed implant, it halts the sunken-in bone loss and preserves the fullness of your facial features.
Soft tissue support isn’t the only anti-aging capability of dental implants. Replacing your teeth with implants also helps to maintain the depth of your jaw anatomy, delaying shrinkage (because of bone loss) that can make your mouth look “short” or “squatty.”
Reversing the Signs of Aging in Your Teeth
As we age, teeth gradually take on more stain and the enamel slowly wears down throughout our mouth. By restoring your entire bite with dental implants, we’re reversing the aging process by several years as teeth will be fuller and brighter looking. Our doctors at PCE will work with you to select the exact shape and shade of teeth that compliment your appearance, so that they appear as natural as possible.
The Freedom to Enjoy Things Again
Aside from the youthfulness that dental implants add to the way your smile looks, it pales in comparison to how they make you feel. When your smile is whole and healthy again, you’ll have the self-confidence you really want to laugh around other people, smile in photos, and enjoy all of your favorite foods. It’s a freedom that maybe you never had, or forgot, that’s restored in just a few visits.
How to Slow Aging in Your Smile
The best way to delay premature aging in your teeth is to routinely see your dentist and always address tooth loss or gum disease as early as possible. The more proactive you are, the easier it is to maintain your smile’s natural structure.
Daily home care, periodontal therapy, and custom dental implant treatments can help. If your smile has been plagued by bone or tooth loss, entrust it to our implant specialist in The Woodlands. Our doctors at PCE will be happy to help you discuss what’s possible (and best) for your new smile. Request an exam today.
