How Can Dental Implants Retain Natural Face Shape and Smile?

Many Riverside County dental patients choose dental implants to replace their missing teeth because they want to restore their previous smile. Whether they lost their natural teeth to an injury, periodontal disease, or another cause, these patients are often hoping to both restore oral functionality and regain a smile that looks like their old smile used to appear.

Riverside County oral surgeon, Dr. Tsvetov, advises his dental implants patients that getting implants can help them achieve this goal of having a natural looking smile. But what potential patients may not realize is that implants can also help maintain your natural face shape – especially if you’re having an entire arch full or mouthful of teeth replaced with implants.

How Implants Preserve Facial Shape

You’ve probably never put much thought into why you have tooth roots, and if you have, you’ve likely concluded their purpose is to keep your teeth in place. That answer is half-correct. You see, in addition to anchoring your teeth into your jawbone, your tooth roots actually work to stimulate the growth of your jawbone.

When you have missing teeth, your jawbone begins to shrink, or resorb. This can result in changes to your facial structure, as your jawbone tissue continues to shrink due to the lack of root stimulation.

But dental implants stop jawbone tissue loss.

Implants are made of two key components: the titanium rods that are inserted into a Riverside County patient’s jawbone to secure the implant into the jawbone, and the tooth-looking crown that provides a natural-looking smile.

But just like your natural tooth root, that titanium rod does more than merely hold your implants in place. They also work to stimulate your jawbone growth. This means even though you’re missing your natural teeth, implant patients will have the jawbone stimulation they need, and most importantly, won’t experience jawbone tissue loss.*

When you’re not losing jawbone tissue, you don’t need to worry about underlying changes to your facial structure. Therefore, dental implants both provide Riverside County patients with the most realistic looking replacement teeth on the market and help patients preserve the shape of their faces, too.

Learning More About Dental Implants

Whether you know you need a tooth extracted and are looking into your tooth replacement options, or you already have missing teeth, and you want to regain your former smile, Dr. Tsvetov of Riverside County’s Temecula Facial Oral Surgery is happy to meet with you to discuss your options. Due to the fact that some patients may have already lost jawbone tissue, sometimes a bone graft surgery to rebuild your jawbone structure is necessary before you can have implants placed. This surgery is done with the goal of bringing back your natural facial structure and providing a strong jawbone that can hold the implants’ titanium rods in place.

There’s no way for you on your own to know if you need pre-surgeries before implant placement.

To consult with Dr. Tsvetov, have advanced dental images taken, and have him prepare a personalized surgical plan for you, call our offices today at (951) 302-9100.

*Individual results may vary.