You know the look: there might have been a grandparent, an elderly aunt, or simply someone you know who suffered from it: the sunken face that comes with tooth loss. Even with dentures it still seems to be there: the creases and folds around the lips, the shrinking jawline … it’s a horrible prospect to have if you’ve started to notice your teeth are in bad shape.
Losing teeth doesn’t have to result in premature aging if you come to New Albany Implants. With our full mouth dental implant solutions you can fight the effects of tooth loss on your appearance, keeping a look that’s right in line with your age no matter how many teeth you have left.
What Causes Premature Aging When Teeth Are Lost?
Losing teeth is like knocking down dominoes: it starts with one but they just keep falling. That chain reaction happens for the exact same reason that premature aging comes along with tooth loss: the resorption of bone.
When a tooth is lost your body starts to reabsorb the bone that held it in place. This continues, weakening the remaining teeth and causing them to loosen before falling out. Once your teeth are all missing you would think bone loss would end, but it doesn’t: it just continues on and on.
Over time the bone in your jaw will shrink so much you’ll end up with a small and delicate jawbone that leaves your face looking squished. You’ve probably seen the caricatures of people with no teeth before: it exists for a reason!
Don’t Dentures Prevent That Look?
While dentures can help slow the effects of premature aging due to tooth loss they won’t stop it. Dentures don’t do anything to prevent you bone from continuing to shrink, and at a certain point you’re left with dentures that don’t fit, look unnatural, and still sit in a sunken position on your face. There simply won’t be enough bone left to keep them in the proper place!
The key to preventing that sunken, aged look is simple: dental implants. You could choose to get one when you’ve lost a single tooth – that’ll prevent more loss. But if you’re living with dentures now there’s still no reason not to get them: you can stop the process where it is and keep it there for good.
What Can Implants Do To Stop Bone Loss?
A dental implant is a small titanium screw that is placed directly into your jaw where the root of a missing tooth used to be. Once placed it bonds to your bone, forming a strong and permanent connection. With an implant in place you’ll stop bone loss in its tracks, giving you a replacement system that really works!
With a single implant you can stop any bone loss that would occur in the future: it’s like putting a wall up in front of that first domino! The bone that would be lost is retained, and even strengthened, by an implant. With proper dental care in the future you’ll never have to worry about tooth loss again.
If you’re wearing dentures and are getting concerned that a sunken face is in your future, don’t worry: we’re still able to help you. We use a full-mouth implant solution called the One Day Smile Solution, which uses four implants in each arch to attach a fixed full mouth bridge. The bridge looks completely natural, never has to come out, and is almost just as functional as your natural teeth! Not only that, but those four simple dental implants will be enough to freeze bone loss and help you maintain a healthy, youthful look that really lasts.
By stopping bone loss you won’t have to worry about that sunken look you get even when wearing dentures. Your implants will keep your bridge in the exact place it was the day you got it, meaning the only aging you’ll be doing is the kind that makes you dignified and sophisticated!
Implants Can Save Your Smile And Your Youth, But You Need To Act Fast
Just like being young, that healthy bone will be gone before you know it. You only have a few choices when it comes to maintaining your youthful look, and dental implants is the one that’ll deliver real results.
Find out what we can do for you at our New Albany office – call us today at (812) 945-7645 or request an appointment using our online form. We look forward to seeing you soon!