Facial Collapse
Missing teeth are a signal to the body that the jawbone is no longer needed to support the teeth. When all of your teeth are missing, the body resorbs the jawbone and uses the minerals from it elsewhere.
Edentulous bite (all the teeth are missing) results in facial collapse. Diagram courtesy of Dr. Carl Misch, Dental Implant Prosthetics
Jawbone shrinkage is progressive and in time, your face will have a sunken-in or shriveled appearance. Facial collapse not only makes you look older, it’s not good for your health. As your jawbone shrinks, dentures irritate your gums and make them sore. Your ability to chew food well decreases and your jawbone may no longer be able to hold the dentures.
Preventing Facial Collapse
Dental implants prevent facial collapse. Implants are surgically implanted in your jawbone. The presence of the implants tells your body that the jawbone is still needed.
It is possible to replace each tooth with an implant, but the cost is per implant. Dentures can be stabilized with as few as two implants. There is no sacrifice in quality, but implant supported dentures are less expensive than inpidual implants—half the cost.
We can determine if you are a candidate for dental implants. If you have already experienced facial collapse, we can use bone grafting to rebuild the missing portions of your jawbone. After your jawbone is built up, dental implants can be placed to support dentures.
Elevated jawbone (left) with all teeth present vs. shrunken jawbone (right) with all teeth missing for an extended period
Our implant surgeon has received post-graduate training in dental implant placement, and our dentists have received extensive training in restoring teeth with implant-supported dentures.
Contact us to schedule a complimentary consultation to discuss treatment and prevention.