Teeth are more than just what people see when you smile; they’re the starting point for digestion where food is broken down, and an essential part of how we communicate with speech. If not cared for properly, they can affect your oral health, overall health, and ultimately lead to tooth loss.
Tooth loss along your upper or lower jaw — especially at the back of your mouth — can cause facial collapse, with long-term effects on the bone and tissue. Luckily, one tooth replacement solution, dental implants, can prevent or reverse this visible form of bone and tissue loss.
If you live in the San Jose California area and are considering dental implants to resolve missing teeth, Dr. Roge Jacob, Dr. Magdalena Azzarelli, and our expert team at Hillsdale Dental Care can help.
Tooth loss is a problem that affects millions of adults, but the issues related to facial collapse are more likely to happen to the 40 million adults who’ve lost many or all of their teeth.
Over two percent of adults aged 20-64 have no teeth, with total tooth loss being far more common in adults aged 60 or older. Tooth loss is often caused by specific factors, such as:
Although facial collapse is more likely with multiple missing teeth, losing even one tooth — especially if it’s a back molar — can result in visible facial changes.
Facial collapse is the result of the process of bone reabsorption your body goes through when it loses teeth. Osteoblasts are the cells your jaw uses to create new bone, and the roots of your teeth help maintain osteoblast production to keep your jaw healthy and strong.
Without teeth, there isn’t enough stimulation for these cells to function normally. The resulting bone loss from multiple missing teeth causes these supporting tissues to shrink and reabsorb minerals, setting the stage for facial collapse.
Edentulism is the complete loss of teeth — a condition that essentially guarantees facial collapse because neither jaw has enough material to continue producing osteoblast cells.
Dental implants work to prevent bone loss through osseointegration. This is the part of the implant process where the post (artificial root) is set into the jaw and fuses with the bone over several months, which provides stability to the crown (artificial tooth) when the replacement is finished.
Osseointegration also helps to stimulate the bone growth your jaw needs to prevent facial collapse, allowing osteoblasts to develop. All of this helps your face retain its normal shape.
Jawbone loss can cause facial collapse, but with dental implants, you can get new teeth and keep your face’s natural shape. Ready to learn more? Call 408-404-8385 to schedule a visit with our restorative dentists at Hillsdale Dental Care in San Jose, California, today.
