When we grow older, we may worry about our faces continuing to appear youthful and healthy. We may adhere to a skincare regimen that reduces the chances of saggy or wrinkly skin. But sometimes, a sagging look in the face comes from oral health problems rather than issues with the skin.
One of the major dental issues that can lead to this specific aesthetic concern is tooth loss. When you understand the impact of this problem, you can better avoid it and therefore preserve your facial structure. Read on to discover details about how missing teeth may mean you will see a sagging appearance in your face.
How Does Tooth Loss Lead to Facial Sagging?
When you lose a tooth, you might see an immediate change in your smile aesthetics due to a gap where the tooth once was. However, one or more missing teeth can change the shape of your face as well. You might notice that with extra space, the face will appear tighter and more sunken.
But tooth loss can also lead to problems with the jaw. In a healthy dental patient, a full set of teeth will feature roots that extend below the gumline to the jaw. The tooth roots will stimulate the bone in the jaw to keep it strong.
If you lose a tooth, the jaw no longer receives stimulation from the tooth root. The bone will start to deteriorate as a result. A weakening jaw will show in the face shape too. Then not only will the jaw lose its firmness, but the surrounding skin will sag as well. So you can appear older and less healthy over time when you lose your teeth.
How Can I Preserve My Face Shape?
Ideally, you should preserve your natural smile for as long as you can. This means avoiding tooth loss in the first place. You should practice good oral hygiene to stave off tooth decay and gum disease, common oral health problems that might hurt your smile enough that the teeth can fall out.
You should also attend routine dental appointments to maximize oral hygiene and receive exams that can spot early signs of these dental issues. Then the dentist can treat them before they progress to tooth loss. However, you cannot always prevent missing teeth, since sometimes an accident may knock out a tooth.
If you do lose a tooth, seek prompt tooth replacement from your dentist to avoid further complications that may lead to facial sagging and other unpleasant symptoms. Dental implants will replace the missing roots of the teeth, unlike removable dentures which do not address tooth loss below the gumline.
The anchors of the implants stimulate the jaw so that the bone will not degenerate. Then you can avoid that sagging look in the face.
Schedule a consultation with your dentist to determine your eligibility for implant dentistry. If too much jawbone is already lost, you might need a bone graft to add stability to support a dental implant.