Everyone wants to have a beautiful smile. Unfortunately, some people are not happy with how their smile looks due to dental issues such as missing teeth, misaligned teeth, and others. Because of these issues, a person can lose self-confidence. 

However, more important than having a beautiful smile is the significance of having teeth themselves. You need your teeth for chewing and speaking. And missing teeth can impact your ability to eat certain foods, your facial shape, and your jawline. When not addressed immediately, missing teeth can lead to facial collapse and jawbone loss. Thus, you should see a dentist in Maryville, TN, soon after losing a tooth. 

How All Your Teeth Prevent Your Face from Collapsing

You probably think that losing a tooth or two is not a big deal. Usually, you may care only about your front teeth as they are visible, as well as impact your smile and look. However, did you know that each of your teeth is important for your facial shape? Losing one or two molars can impact your ability to eat or speak. And tooth loss can have definite impacts on your jawbone.

When you lose a tooth, your jaw experiences bone loss. Over time, jawbone loss can lead to more tooth loss due to weakened bones that can’t support the remaining teeth. Also, this can result in a fractured jaw. When your jawbone is seriously weakened, you may not be a good candidate for dental bridges or dental implants as teeth replacements. Your only option may be traditional dentures. But your dentist can also rebuild your jawbone through a procedure called bone grafting, but this will increase the cost.

How Missing Teeth Can Alter the Alignment and Shape of Your Jawline

After you lose a tooth, the surrounding teeth will shift toward the gap created by the missing tooth to accommodate the freed-up spaces.  This movement will change your jawline’s shape and alignment. Your jawline will begin to sag, and your facial muscles lose support, causing your entire face to sag and collapse.

As your jawline changes, you can look older than your age. Your jawline will look weaker, making you look less happy. This will then impact your confidence level, smile in photos, or speak up on significant matters. 

Thankfully, dental implants can prevent all of these issues from happening. But you should not wait to get them. Implants will stimulate bone growth and stop jawbone loss that can happen after tooth loss.