Jawbone Deterioration: What Is It?
The jawbone plays a vital role in anchoring your mouth, and through constant use, it grows healthier and stronger. But, under certain circumstances, your jawbone can begin to deteriorate, which can cause an array of different oral and health problems in general down the line.
Luckily, there are treatment methods that can help return your jawbone’s functionality despite deterioration, for example, dental implants. If you want to learn more about dental implants and what they can do for you, feel free to visit this website and read about the many benefits dental implants can offer. Now, let’s discuss the symptoms of jawbone deterioration that you can be on the lookout for.
Jawbone Deterioration Symptoms
Jawbone deterioration happens over a longer period of time. The good thing is that the symptoms are noticeable. The sooner you notice them, the sooner you can contact your dentist and start your treatment. The symptoms you might notice go as follows:
- Loosened, misaligned teeth
- Distorted facial features
- Collapsed facial profile
- Wrinkling of the skin around the mouth
- Limitations on lip support
- Difficulties speaking
- Pain when chewing
- Sinus expansion
- Headaches, jaw pain, and facial pain
Causes of Jawbone Deterioration
There can be many different reasons behind jawbone deterioration. The following are the most common:
Removing a tooth may seem like no big deal, and it isn’t most of the time. However, when a tooth is extracted and not replaced, jawbone deterioration might occur. That is because teeth provide stimulation to the jawbone, which is a necessity for it to remain healthy and functional.
Also, without teeth, your body will resort to jawbone resorption, deeming it not needed anymore due to the lack of stimulation. The rate at which the jawbone deteriorates in these types of cases varies from individual to individual. So, it’s important to always address missing teeth with your dentist as a precautionary step.
Periodontal disease, or gum disease as it’s also known, is a gum infection that destroys the soft tissue, as well as the bone, over an extended period of time. Periodontitis and gingivitis, for example, are both gum infections that are detrimental to your soft tissues and jawbone.
Dentures can help improve your quality of life if you’re missing a lot of your teeth. However, unlike dental implants, dentures don’t do anything when it comes to stimulating the jawbone. As we know, that can cause the jawbone to deteriorate over time.
As time goes on, the dentures will also begin to loosen, as they won’t fit properly anymore due to jawbone loss. That opens the doors to a plethora of problems with chewing and talking. So, if you end up opting for dentures, or you already have, consider getting dentures with anchors instead. Dentures supported by anchors aid in jawbone preservation, as they’re able to stimulate it properly.
A malocclusion or misalignment of the teeth can cause a lot of wear and tear, and that can create problems with eating and chewing. Additionally, a lack of tooth structure can cause the teeth to over-erupt, leading to jawbone deterioration.
Physical trauma, such as dental avulsions, fractures, and continuous damage to a person’s teeth, can lead to jawbone loss. The solution in such cases will, of course, depend on the severity of the problem.
Osteomyelitis is a bacterial infection that affects the jawbone and the bone marrow. This infection can lead to inflammation, which can result in blood supply reduction.
Sinus deficiencies can lead to a severe loss of the upper jawbone. That is because molar removal can cause air pressure, which is a catalyst for jawbone resorption.
Sometimes benign facial tumors require removal, and that might include parts of the jawbone. Additionally, most malignant tumors affecting the mouth will spread onto the jaw as well, which always requires removing the jawbone.
Jawbone Loss Treatment
While jawbone can be a problem, it’s not a problem that lacks a solution. Also, the fact is that jawbone loss can even be reversed, despite deterioration. Some of the common options that benefit jawbone loss reversal include:
- Bone grafting – This form of treatment is the most common. It’s also a prerequisite procedure needed for teeth implants.
- Sinus lift – This procedure includes lifting the sinus cavity and positioning the membrane lining further from the jaw. That leaves space for the bone graft material. After this process is done, a tooth implant can be placed.
Dental Implants: The Perfect Way to Replace Missing Teeth
After a prerequisite procedure is done, your implant dentist will be able to provide you with dental implants.
Tooth implants are by far the best method of tooth replacement. That is because they match your natural teeth in performance ability. The natural roots of your teeth are there to hold them in place.
However, as we mentioned earlier, that’s not the only thing they do. While holding your teeth in place, they’re also able to stimulate your jawbone, keeping it healthy and actively safeguarding it from resorption.
Moreover, unlike dentures and bridges, your dental implants are held in place by titanium screws, which mimics the way natural teeth are held in place by their roots. As time goes by, the titanium screws integrate into the jawbone, aiding your implants in their mission to replace missing teeth and keep your jawbone stimulated.
Teeth implants are also made to last a very long time, so you don’t need to worry about replacing them anytime soon. Unlike dentures, they don’t slip and slide around your mouth, as they are secured and non-removable. Also, unlike bridges, they don’t affect the neighboring teeth.
All in all, dental implants are the perfect tooth replacement, both for people with jawbone loss and for those without it.
