One of the things that people fear most about getting dentures is the way their face may shrink as a result. With smaller bones, they end up with excess skin that sags and folds, sinking in around the mouth, cheeks, eyes and other places.
The only way a denture wearer can prevent facial collapse is to support the dentures with dental implants. Two to eight dental implants can be surgically implanted in the jawbone, and dentures are secured to them.
The short answer is yes, dentures can definitely change the shape of your face. But if you've been missing teeth or dealing with bad, ill-fitting dentures, the change may be for the better.
A sunken face indicates your current dentures are not fitted properly. The most likely cause of this is the teeth in the denture being too short. It is important to spot a sunken face immediately as improperly fitted dentures can cause other dental problems like jaw deterioration over time.
If you wear dentures, the movement of dentures actually tends to accelerate jaw bone shrinkage. You may notice facial shrinkage and an aging effect, as well as loosening dentures. Other than missing teeth causing atrophy, jaw bone loss can also be caused by gum disease, oral cancer or other pathology.
The sunken face that comes from having dentures isn't actually related to your muscles at all, it's caused by tooth (and consequently) bone loss in the jaw.
The best way to reverse facial collapse for most patients is to get the Face Lift Dentistry® Method. The source of facial collapse is directly related to the location of their jaw position and the Face Lift Dentistry® method idealizes the jaw position and reverses facial failure with support from inside the mouth.
After tooth loss, the muscles may begin to sag, causing the skin to wrinkle. Tooth loss can also cause your lips to sink in and your chin to protrude. Replacing your teeth with dentures can help you avoid dramatic changes to your face although you may still notice some degree of facial sagging or wrinkling.
Ever seen someone without their dentures? Facial collapse causes this on a smaller scale, evidenced by wrinkles in the corners of the mouth, loss of lip support, and overall shortening of the face to give an “aged” appearance.
The Progression of Facial Collapse
When your teeth are missing, your body begins to resorb the bone that was used to support those teeth. Over the course of about 10-20 years the jawbone shrinks significantly. This condition is known as facial collapse.
By listening closely to the person, you may detect a lisp. This happens because the tongue and the mouth are not used to having dental plates. However, as time passes, the lisp will eventually disappear, and it will be impossible to know if the person is wearing a denture by observing the person's speech.
The bulk of these dentures will probably even be visible with your mouth closed, and may make your face look puffy. Another change that dentures will cause in your mouth is the loss of bone in your jaw. Because there are no teeth to stimulate your jawbone, your body naturally removes it.
Although dentures may affect your appearance, you'll be happy to hear they often make our patients look younger. It's becoming more common for patients to choose dentures for aesthetic purposes in addition to their many health benefits.
To try to counter sunken cheeks, some dentists add cheek plumpers to dentures. Unfortunately, this can't consistently lead to a more attractive facial appearance. However, there are alternatives to traditional dentures that can give you full cheeks and a more youthful appearance.
In the First 30 Days
It takes time for your gums, cheeks, and tongue to adjust to wearing an oral appliance. However, after a couple of weeks have passed, you'll notice fewer sore spots in your mouth and less saliva. Don't hesitate to call our office if you need your dentures adjusted.
Dental implants can prevent the jaw from shrinking and collapsing. They cannot restore lost mass. However, bone grafting procedures, which are often necessary to improve dental implant candidacy, can restore the jaw to its proper shape and size, thereby giving a lift to the areas impacted by tooth loss.
Dental Implants prevent and even reverse facial collapse, restoring your normal facial appearance. They help revive missing bone mass in the jaw and fill the voids in your smile. It may seem like a small gap, but that space affects the fullness of your lips and alters your smile.
Bone grafting is a specialized dental procedure that adds bone to the mouth where it was previously lost. The new bone to be added may be taken from another part of your body and placed in the mouth. The bone may also be taken from a similar organism genetically or a different organism.
Why Is My Face So Sunken? As we get older, collagen, elastin, and even facial fat pads break down, resulting in some changes that can cause the appearance of a sunken face. The effect is even more pronounced when the fat pads begin to drift south, which can exacerbate sunken cheeks and undereye hollows.
OPTIONS: Facial volume can be restored with injectable fillers or your own fat. Unlike peels and superficial fillers for skin lines, reflation is a procedure that uses filler or fat deeper in the face to prop up the skin and recreate lost contours.
Because dentures rest on that gum ridge and are customized to fit its shape and size, dentures loosen as this happens, and for many patients, end up feeling too big for their mouths. What are your options if this has happened to you?
Ideally, your dentures should support your lips and cheeks, but if they are too large, they can actually push your dentures outward, resulting in puffy lips and cheeks. The correct fitting of dentures can usually prevent this, but the denture flanges that go around the gums can cause puffiness for some people.
If you want to know if your dentures will feel normal, the answer is yes. You may have recently gotten the teeth, or perhaps you are considering getting them. You might want to know what to expect. The good news is that today's prosthetics feel more natural than ever, and you can get accustomed to them quickly.
There are other restorative dentistry treatments available for eligible patients, such as dental implants and dental crowns. Those who do not qualify for those procedures may also be getting dentures. For this reason, the average age of denture-wearing patients is around 45 years old.