Adults with excellent dental hygiene should not lose any of their permanent teeth. With daily brushing and flossing, eating a diet full of healthy foods and minimal sugar, and regular biannual visits to the dentist, all of the tools for good oral health are in place. Unfortunately, human nature sometimes intervenes and we don’t make the time to take care of our teeth as we should. If you begin to lose teeth, you risk suffering facial collapse. What is this condition? It is the collapse in the structure of your face due to jawbone diminishment. Facial collapse brings about a more aged appearance. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid the condition.
Facial Collapse
Tooth loss triggers facial collapse. Your teeth have roots deeply imbedded into the jawbone. Your jawbone’s job is to keep the roots firmly in place. Your dental roots, in turn, stimulate your jaw and keep the bone structure full and healthy. Without the roots of your tooth, your jaw has no purpose and the body redirects minerals and nutrients from the bone to other parts of your body. Bone loss is the unfortunate result. Without hefty jawbone structure to support your features, your lips, and cheeks will start to cave inward. From a cosmetic standpoint, facial collapse creates an aged, sunken, less healthy appearance. As the condition ensues, chewing may become difficult. Dietary changes can cause further health issues. Also, if you have facial collapse, partial and full dentures won’t fit properly and additional dental problems are likely.
Tooth Loss
Unless you suffer an accident or have a health condition which causes bone loss, the series of events leading to facial collapse start with proper oral hygiene. Consider this representation of the events with the following simple chart:
Poor dental hygiene ->Dental cavities and tooth decay->Gum disease->Tooth loss->Bone loss->Facial collapse
Visit your Northbrook Cosmetic Dentist
To schedule an appointment, call our 60062 dentist office at 847-259-8030. We are happy to serve patients in Northbrook, Deerfield, Highland Park, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Vernon Hills, Lincolnshire, Libertyville, Skokie, Evanston, Palatine, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village, Rolling Meadows, Northwest Chicago Suburbs, and Northern Chicago Suburbs.
