Your jawbone provides a strong and stable foundation for your entire mouth. It ensures you can move your jaw without issue to complete crucial oral functions like eating and speaking. If you suffer an injury to your jawbone, you might notice the rest of your mouth will also see a decline in capability.
You might not know that if you lose one or more teeth, your jawbone might begin to deteriorate. This happens because the roots of your teeth serve to stimulate the bone in the jaw below the gumline. Without this stimulation, the bone will degenerate.
You can work with your dentist to replace missing teeth in a way that also preserves your jawbone health. Knowing more about the risks of untreated tooth loss can encourage you to seek this restorative dental treatment. Read on to discover some oral health concerns that can occur if you suffer jawbone deterioration as a result of tooth loss.
Facial Sagging
Your jaw plays a major role in constructing the structure of your face. So if you start to lose bone mass in the wake of tooth loss, you will notice that the shape of your face will change.
With less bone in your jaw, you will start to see a weaker look in your jaw shape. As a result, the face will appear smaller and more shrunken. Then, excess skin will begin to sag, giving your face a drooping appearance that might make you feel self-conscious.
You cannot prevent this bone loss on your own if you lose a tooth. You will need targeted restorative treatment from your dentist to stop further harm after tooth loss.
If you do lose jawbone, you may need a bone graft to rebuild stability and structure in your jaw. So take swift action to replace missing teeth and avoid this damage to your jaw in the first place.
Damage to Remaining Teeth
If you suffer jawbone loss after losing a tooth, your remaining teeth could face further dental damage. Without strong support from your jaw to keep teeth in place, your teeth could become weaker and fall out of their sockets.
Missing teeth increase the risk of other dental problems as well, including tooth decay and gum disease. Excess bacteria from these conditions may mean that the jawbone will continue to deteriorate. And the surrounding remaining teeth and gum tissue will suffer damage as well.
Eliminate these risk factors of serious and irreversible dental problems by treating tooth loss. Find a tooth replacement that also protects your jawbone by scheduling a dental consultation today.
Implant dentistry involves the placement of an anchor in the jaw that will support prosthetic teeth. The anchor will also replace missing tooth roots to provide stimulation for your jaw and prevent its degeneration.
Other tooth replacements, like removable dentures, replace teeth only above the gumline and cannot offer this benefit. Discover your eligibility for dental implants by calling your dentist as soon as you can.