But with missing teeth, your jawbone isn't able to support the structure of your face anymore. Your facial structure, which depends on a well formed healthy jawbone to support all your teeth, will eventually start collapsing. You will notice this as a sunken look to your face or a shorter face (than normal).
These molars grow in an area of the mouth referred to as the dental alveolus. This area is not directly attached to the basal jawbone. Therefore, when the teeth are removed, there is really no change to the shape of your jaws.
If you are missing your tooth at the back, it means that there is some bit of the alveolar bone that is unstimulated. Eventually, the bone will start to melt away. Studies have shown that within a year, a 25 percent decrease in bone width is likely to occur when the tooth gap remains unfilled.
Facial angles – The length of the jawbone is affected by tooth loss, resulting in lowering facial height. Changes in the angles of the face can also make the face appear sunken or hallowed. Facial wrinkles– Without teeth adding fullness to a face, more vertical lines are formed, resulting in a more aged appearance.
Wisdom Teeth Removal Doesn't Affect the Shape of Your Face
If your face looks a little slimmer after removing wisdom teeth, it might be because: You ate less food during the recovery period. Your face was swollen after the surgery and the swelling subsequently went down.
In short, removing the wisdom teeth will not impact your jawbone or face shape. In addition, the skin and soft tissue around the wisdom teeth consist of the underlying fat, muscles, and fat pads in the face.
In fact, many professional models have their wisdom teeth removed to give them the look of having higher cheekbones. The danger here, of course, is that people have teeth taken out for aesthetics reasons, and not health reasons.
As you can imagine, if you're missing molars, it's much more difficult to chew foods. Vegetables, fruits, and other crunchy or tough foods may be difficult to eat. A soft food diet might be necessary simply given your limitations when it comes to chewing. This is why replacement options are so important in these cases.
Missing teeth contribute to the appearance of sunken cheeks, which can make you look older. Teeth are anchored to the jawbone by sockets, and if these remain empty, bone loss occurs. The jaw contributes a lot to the structure of the face, and less jawbone will leave you with a gaunt appearance.
Ever seen someone without their dentures? Facial collapse causes this on a smaller scale, evidenced by wrinkles in the corners of the mouth, loss of lip support, and overall shortening of the face to give an “aged” appearance.
Back Molars Preserve Jaw Bone Density
If you lack one or more back molars, the jaw bone won't have enough stimulation from chewing and it will produce insufficient new bone mass to replace the bone that is naturally broken down.
Your child will begin losing their baby teeth around the age of six. The first teeth to be lost are usually the lower and upper front teeth. This is then followed by the eruption of the first big adult teeth at the back (first permanent molars). The last baby tooth is usually lost around the age of 12 years.
Teeth aren't just for looks—especially your back molars! Each one plays an important role in chewing and grinding up food. Back teeth encourage an even bite, which reduces strain on the jaw and extra pressure on the front teeth.
When you get a tooth extracted at a dental clinic near you, your dentist must remove all roots. Since the roots of your teeth are an integral part of your facial structure, it is possible to experience changes to your face shape after getting a tooth extraction.
This is just some old wives' tale- having wisdom teeth taken out does nothing to change your face or jaw shape. Dentists take out only the teeth and none of the underlying muscle, tissue, or fat around it. Some cases take a tiny piece of jaw bone if the teeth are fully-impacted, but this rarely occurs.
Teeth help to stabilize the jaw and surrounding bones that give a face its structure. Front teeth offer support to the facial muscles in the lips and cheeks. Molars help maintain the shape of the jawline. Losing that support can make the face sag and droop.
If you've lost one of your back teeth, you may not be in a hurry to replace it. After all, it's not easily visible. There is more to consider than smile aesthetics, though. As you continue reading, discover why it's in your best interest to replace a missing back tooth.
Facial Aesthetics
But even without affecting your facial features, a missing tooth makes you less attractive. Most people notice your teeth and smile before other facial features. With one or several gaps in your teeth, it's almost impossible to produce a perfect smile.
Dental implants can prevent the jaw from shrinking and collapsing. They cannot restore lost mass. However, bone grafting procedures, which are often necessary to improve dental implant candidacy, can restore the jaw to its proper shape and size, thereby giving a lift to the areas impacted by tooth loss.
The second molars are significant for better chewing. They also help in keeping the health of your jawbone and remaining teeth intact. Even though the people having no second molars can chew comfortably. Still, in the long term, it creates problems like gum disease, decay, trauma, or other related issues.
Molars grow in at the back of your mouth and a full set of adult teeth should have 8 in total with 4 on the top and 4 on the bottom jaw. These teeth are your strongest and we rely on these teeth to grind our food so it's safe to swallow.
You can live without them. There are significant problems with living without teeth, but you can survive. Your brain, your internal organs, and a few other things are required to just survive, to be alive. Healthy teeth and a healthy mouth are essential to a good quality of life.
Your jaw is fully developed by the time you are in your early 20s. In general, if there's enough space for wisdom teeth to fit comfortably, your dentist may leave them alone. Researchers say that there are no proven health benefits to pulling wisdom teeth that aren't causing problems.
Our Early Ancestors Needed Wisdom Teeth
Because early humans needed to chew coarse, hearty foods, they required a broader jaw. Wisdom teeth grew in to give them more chewing power for this purpose. Because the jaw was wider, the wisdom teeth were able to grow in with no difficulties.
Humans have wisdom teeth because our ancestors needed them. Early humans didn't cook and weren't able to cut their food with knives. Because their teeth were the only tools they had for breaking down tough, uncooked foods, they needed a broader jaw containing extra molars.