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Collapse of the Face
When all of your teeth are extracted, unless you have
dental implants placed your face will collapse, and we will explain why.
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There is a piezoelectric signal that your teeth
send to the jawbone. When the teeth are extracted, this signal is
gone and your body, in the absence of this signal, begins to resorb
that bone. Over a period of years, the jawbone will shrink until the
patient is left a dental cripple - unable to retain a set of
dentures, and facing great difficulty eating. Some people in this
situation will shun events and will refuse to go out to eat. And
understandably so - when your teeth will not stay in, it can be very
embarrassing.
The models on the left show this progressive
deterioration of the jaw. On the top, we have a jawbone with a full
set of teeth. Soon after they are extracted, the bone begins to
shrink and continues shrinking for the rest of the patient's life.
When the jawbone is like the bottom model,
there is no way to make a set of complete dentures so that they will
stay in place, because there is no bony ridge to grip. The dentures
end up floating in the mouth.
These models show the bone loss that will occur
over a ten-year period. |
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of the changes as they are observed in the face. Notice how the
upper lip sinks in, the height of the lower face decreases, and the
face seems to shrivel and acquire extra wrinkles. The changes tend
to make people look considerably older. But the worst part of
collapse of the face is that people have great difficulty eating and
may not be able to even wear a denture without pain or great
discomfort. Diagrams and models are from Dr. Carl Misch's
Dental Implant Prosthetics, the most widely used dental implant
text, and are used with permission.
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Preventing and Treating Collapse of the Face
Prevention is the best course, naturally.
When the natural teeth are lost, placing dental implants to retain
the denture will keep the body from resorbing the bone. But once the
bone is lost, usually it can be replaced with
bone grafting
techniques.
Dr. Chal has assembled a team of the best
professionals in the field to treat his dental implant patients. The
surgeons he uses are all dual degree surgeons - they have both
medical degrees and dental degrees. As such they have rare expertise that is especially helpful for patients who have been told they are not a candidate for implants. He has helped many patients who
were previously told they are beyond hope. If you are a "dental
cripple," give his office a call.
Dr. Chal is especially skilled in creating
beautiful smiles. Whatever your course of treatment, he will
make sure that you look your best.
Visit his web site and read
the impressive patient testimonials, and see the photographs of the
beautiful work that he does. |
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