How Dental Implants Can Prevent Facial Collapse

When you lose teeth, the resulting gaps in your grin can cause you to lose confidence in your beam. Being in social situations or smiling for photos may feel uncomfortable. Luckily, there are a number of options to replace missing teeth, including dental implants. While they can fill in your beam, they can also help maintain the shape of your face. Keep reading to learn how!

How Tooth Loss Impacts Your Facial Structure 

When it comes to missing teeth, there is more to worry about than just how your smile looks. Since the jawbone in those areas will no longer receive the stimulation it needs, it will begin to erode. Patients can expect to lose 25% of their jaw mass in just the first year. This will cause the jawbone to weaken and will also impact your facial shape. The resulting sagging can make you look older than you are.

Additionally, the surrounding teeth will start to shift to fill in the gaps. Over time, they will start to weaken. As a result, you may experience additional tooth loss, which can further affect your facial shape.

Why Dental Implants Are the Perfect Solution 

Though dentures and other tooth replacement options give you back a full smile, they don’t provide the jawbone with adequate stimulation. Fortunately, dental implants do. They are inserted directly into the jawbone where they fuse with it through a process called osseointegration. This takes four to six months on average and makes the implants as stable and durable as your natural teeth.

Do I qualify for Dental Implants?

There may be some ways that you need to prepare before you undergo dental implant placement. If it has been a while since you lost your teeth or they were pulled, you may need to undergo a bone graft. This will strengthen your jawbone so it’s strong enough to adequately support dental implants.

Additionally, if you have any existing oral health issues, you will need to have those treated before you proceed. If you have bad oral habits, like smoking cigarettes or drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, these will need to be ceased. Also, those with conditions like diabetes that may impede the healing process will need to be closely monitored.

About the Practice 

If you are a resident of West Hartford who is in need of a team of dental health professionals, look no further than West Hartford Dental Group. They offer patients a wide array of exceptional treatments, such as dental implants to fill in gaps in your grin and help you maintain your facial shape. If you want to set up an appointment with Dr. Phadnis, Dr. Dhingra, and Dr. Harper or to learn more about dental implants, call West Hartford Dental Group’s office at (860) 236-4249 or visit their website.