Stories about immortal fountains and eternal elixirs are popular for a reason. It feels good to look young! Like your go-to blazer or form-fitting skirt, aesthetics can affect your mood, making you feel more powerful and confident – or less vim and vigorous. Sunken cheeks and wrinkled lips might be deflating your spunk.
Believe it or not, there is a dental solution to this. It turns out that a sagging face could be the result of your missing teeth and a phenomenon called condylar resorption. Read more to find out what this is, and how your dentist can help restore your youthful features with dental implants.
Condylar Resorption – What Is It and What Is It Doing
To understand condylar resorption, you need to know that actions like chewing stimulate your teeth. Signals are sped along your jawbone to your brain, communicating that each tooth is intact and that every portion of your jawbone is still needed to support them.
When a tooth goes missing, signals don’t get sent to your brain. Your brain starts to suspect that the part of your jawbone without a tooth isn’t needed at all. “So,” your brain reasons without your permission, “I’ll send all these essential nutrients to parts that we still use instead!”
While this makes perfect sense to your unconscious biology, you might not be so thankful as that “dead” part of your jawbone starts to recede. This is condylar resorption: the shrinking of your jawbone.
The more time that passes, the more your jawbone will “resorb.” When the support system in your mouth shrinks, it shifts your remaining teeth – as well as surrounding skin and tissue. Thus, your face starts to appear more wrinkled and aged.
Dental Implants – What Are They and How Do They Help
Fortunately, dental implants can reverse this process. By anchoring a post to your jawbone and capping it with a porcelain crown, your dentist can encourage your bone to stay put and continue supporting your skin.
The post of a dental implant mimics the root of a natural tooth. It takes some time for the post to integrate with your jawbone, but once it does, it’s not going anywhere, and neither is your bone. It will respond to your dental implant when you chew, signaling to your brain that it’s needed. With your mouth’s essential support system restored, you can look forward to everyone’s compliments about your renewed youthful glow.
Are Dental Implants Just Another Age-Reversing Myth?
“What’s the catch?” You might be asking.
Dental implants are safe, durable, and strong. They’re successful in 90% – 95% of placements, outlast other options by multiple decades, and return 70% of your bite power (for perspective, removable dentures return about 30%). Statistically, they really are a promising solution.
But are dental implants right for you? The best way to find out is to contact your dentist. Only a professional will be able to evaluate your unique dental needs and consult with you about your options. Regardless, restoring your youth could be even easier than ingesting a magical elixir or sketchy fountain water. It could be just a phone call away!
About the Practice
Drs. Matt and Reagan Hiner love helping patients meet their smile goals. After listening to your needs and taking stock of your oral situation, this husband-and-wife pair will recommend a restoration plan tailored specifically for you and your teeth. Call 713-589-5539 to request a consultation or visit their website to learn more.