As time progresses, your face incurs the signs of aging, such as wrinkles and sagging skin. However, there are certain physical conditions, such as the loss of your teeth, that can cause you to look even older than you are.

The loss of a tooth affects the overall appearance of your face. However, restorative applications, such as dental  implants can help you retain a youthful look. Here are a few of the aging effects of tooth loss that can be erased by the installation of dental implants:

Loss of Facial Contours

When a tooth is lost, the underlying bone of the jaw begins to atrophy at the site where the missing tooth used to be. This deterioration of the bone occurs because of a lack of stimulation.

When you chew your food, the bite force is transferred from the crown of your tooth through its root, which is inside the jawbone. This pressure stimulates the bone to create more bone cells and prevents a loss of density. However, without stimulation the bone fails to produce new cells at an adequate rate.

Dental implants are placed inside the jawbone and transfer stimulation in the same way that natural teeth do. This is important for the maintenance of a youthful appearance, because as the jaw bone declines, it is unable to provide support for the structure of your face.

Your jaws may begin to sag, creating wrinkles and a loose appearance to the face. Additionally, your jowls may become more pronounced along your chin line, and the chiseled look of youthful cheekbones may fade. You may also notice that your facial features seem to droop, altering your profile and frontal appearance.

Sunken Lips

Sunken lips can give the face an older, skeletal appearance. This is especially evident when most or all teeth are missing from the mouth. Dental implants can curtail this effect by providing the underlying lip support that the missing teeth once did.

Wrinkles

The sagging skin that results from a lack of structural support for the face can fold upon itself, creating new wrinkles and lines in the face. The resulting look, which resembles the folded skin of a hound dog, can make your face appear even older.

To learn more ways that dental implants can help you avoid looking older and to determine whether or not you are a good candidate for them, schedule a consultation with a dental clinic like Alliance Family Dental.