What Effect Can Tooth Loss Have On a Person’s Appearance?
By Murad Rashid | Published on January 14, 2011 | 0 Comments
Tooth loss can have a dramatic effect on a person’s overall appearance, since losing one or more teeth changes much more than just a person’s smile. According to the Dentist Place‘s Dr. Murad Rashid, a dentist in Clearwater, Florida, tooth loss can actually change the shape and overall look of a person’s entire face and neck.
Without teeth, most people tend to have a more sunken in appearance in the face. This not only emphasizes any wrinkles that are already there, but also makes people look older in many regards. A person who loses his teeth and does not have them replaced could look anywhere from five to 15 years older within just a matter of months or years. Additionally, Dr. Rashid says that people who have lost a number of teeth also tend to lose height in their face; so a person who spent his whole life having a long, lean face could suddenly have a wide, droopy face due to premature tooth loss.
A person who has a number of teeth extracted without putting any new teeth in can expect to see almost immediate changes to his jaw and face. And why does this happen, exactly? As Dr. Rashid explains, human teeth are naturally designed to fill out the face, in addition to helping people eat and chew food. If teeth fall out and nothing comes in to replace them – such as implants or bridges – then the bone that was originally holding those teeth in place will eventually deteriorate. This is what causes older people without teeth to begin seeing changes in the way their chins and jaw lines look.
Having specific teeth extracted can also cause people to lose the height of their bite. In a case like this, the patient’s face will become shorter, and his mouth will become more closed-in if he does not have any teeth to bite against. Dr. Rashid has seen people who had two or three teeth extracted on one side of the face, and within very little time, that entire half of the face began to look more sunken in. These changes were noticeable and happened quite quickly, he adds.
To prevent these unwanted changes, Dr. Rashid recommends that patients who have lost one or more teeth look into replacement options like implants, bridges, or dentures. Dentures, specifically, are now designed with a thick type of plastic that helps keep the face in the right proportion, explains Dr. Rashid. This can prevent the sunken-in look that some patients develop when they have teeth extracted without putting in any type of replacement.
Interestingly, Dr. Rashid says, age does matter when it comes to the changes that a person can expect to see if he loses one or more teeth. Older patients are likely to notice more visible changes in a shorter amount of time, while it may take months or years before younger patients start seeing the wrinkling and sinking that can occur due to premature tooth loss. Dr. Rashid says that people can avoid these problems entirely by having dentures, bridges, or implants put in if they ever need to have one or more teeth extracted.
*Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.