Did you know that facial collapse, which causes deep wrinkles around the mouth, are not only due to missing teeth? The sunken wrinkles that occur after losing several teeth are due in part to a loss of vertical jaw height from teeth, however, an underlying symptom of tooth loss can contribute to even more effects of aging. Dr. Alex Denes and Dr. Claudia Denes, our Fresno dentists, will explain facial collapse and how it can be avoided with dental implants.
How Tooth Loss Contributes to Facial Collapse
Your teeth give your jawline vertical height; without them, your facial skin will develop deep wrinkles and sunken cheeks. However, missing teeth contribute to facial collapse in more ways than one. Your jawbone also plays a role in the vertical height of your mouth. The tissue that makes up your jaw depends on minerals for strength. Teeth roots stimulate the jaw, and the body knows to send minerals to this area of the body. When teeth roots are missing, the body believes that the jaw no longer requires the minerals, so it reassigns them elsewhere. Without teeth roots, your jawbone will begin to deteriorate. This hidden side effect of tooth loss is called alveolar atrophy, or jawbone shrinkage, and it exacerbates facial collapse.
How Dental Implants Prevent Facial Collapse
How do you prevent facial collapse and the dreaded sunken cheeks look? Our Fresno dentists offer dental implants to reverse the negative effects of missing teeth. The dental implant is the closest restoration to a natural tooth, because it is implanted into the jawbone. This not only aids in chewing and speaking properly, but also prevents alveolar atrophy. Dental implants can keep the jawbone from deteriorating and add vertical height with porcelain crowns or dentures that look and feel natural.
Dental Implants in Fresno
To learn more about how our Fresno dentists, Dr. Alex Denes and Dr. Claudia Denes can help you prevent facial collapse with dental implants, call Fresno Dental Studio in Fresno, California at (559) 297-1800. We serve patients from Fresno, Clovis, Mendota, Orange Cove, Reedley, Selma, and the surrounding areas.