When you have missing teeth, it affects your self-esteem, your self-confidence, and your ability to eat. However, what you don’t realize is that when you have missing teeth, it also affects your jaw and the shape of your face. To reverse some of these changes can be very costly.
Dr. Chad Boustany emphasizes the importance of your dental health and how it affects more than just your smile. He works with patients individually to address complex problems related to tooth loss and help them restore a smile that offers function, comfort, and aesthetics.
Effects on Your Lower Jaw
When you are missing your teeth, your jawbone will atrophy. As an example, if you broke your arm or leg and couldn’t use that limb for some months, what would happen? That muscle would shrink a little because it hasn’t been used. It’s the same for your jawbone. If there are no teeth, then your jawbone will most likely shrink because the chewing motion exercises and strengthens your jawbone.
If you only have one or two teeth missing, it isn’t as serious. But if you have most of your teeth missing, it’ll most certainly cause your jawbone to weaken.
Having a weak jawbone causes many issues on its own, including the risk of a fractured jaw and further tooth loss because the jawbone cannot support the remaining teeth. When you have a weakened jawbone, it’s impossible to have dental bridges or dental implants without additional procedures being performed. The only option left for you is dentures. You may have the option for the Charleston dentist to rebuild your jawbone with bone grafts.
Effects on the Upper Jaw
Your lower jawbone isn’t the only area affected by missing teeth. Your upper jawbone can also be affected. You should realize that even the slightest change in the size of your upper jawbone, even from a single missing tooth, can cause significant issues with your sinuses. The sinus cavity is already close to your teeth. In fact, a lot of back molars’ roots already penetrate the sinus cavity. So, having a missing tooth and making this smaller only puts the sinus cavity even closer to the teeth. In some instances, a patient may need a sinus lift to ensure there is enough room for the implant.
Your bite can be affected as well because of the changes to your jawbones. As your jawbone shrinks, your teeth will eventually stop hitting each other at the right times and in the right places. Again, a dental procedure such as a dental bridge won’t correct this issue because it won’t stimulate the jawbone to keep it healthy. But depending on the extent of the damage, we may be able to perform a bone graft, which will stimulate the jawbone enough to support an implant.
To learn more about our dental implant services, visit:
- Dental Implants in Charleston, WV
- Bone Grafting
- Cost of Dental Implants
- Dental Implant Candidates
- Remote Anchorage Implants
- Same-day Dental Implants
- Single Tooth Implants
- Multiple Teeth Implants
- Trefoil Implant System
Ready to Protect Your Jaw and Your Smile?
Tooth replacement is about preserving your jawbone, maintaining your facial structure, and protecting your ability to eat and speak with confidence. Dr. Chad Boustany can help you understand how dental implants can stop bone loss and restore the natural function of your smile.
Don’t let missing teeth affect your health any longer. Call us at 304-396-6658 to schedule a consultation, or request an appointment online. We’ll help you explore the best options to protect your jaw and revive your smile for life.