When I picture classic denture face, I picture a sweet old lady like Mama Coco on Disney’s film Coco. We all love her, but most people want to avoid looking like her.
Denture face or “old man face” happens because of bone loss.
Figuring out how to avoid denture face requires two things:
- First, you need dentures that lift and support your face.
- Second, you need to stop or at least slow the bone loss.
How Do You Get Dentures That Support Your Face?
Dentures seem like simple pieces of plastic, but they are actually complex medical prosthesis with nearly as much engineering involved as a prosthetic hand or leg. To get properly fitting dentures that support your face as much as possible, you need to find a dentist who makes cosmetic dentures, not just false teeth. Making a supportive denture requires advanced training in facial esthetics and facial muscle function. In other words you need an esthetic denture-engineer.
How Do You Slow Bone Loss to Avoid Denture Face?
One word – Implants. As soon as you take your natural teeth out, your jaw bone considers itself unemployed and starts to shrink away. Adding dental implants gives the jaw bone work again. It thinks that those implants are teeth and will stick by them so long as they are healthy. By keeping bone in your jaw, implants keep your face folding in and wrinkling up in classic denture face.
To find out if denture implants are right for you, go see an implant denture dentist for a consultation. You’ll need to find out if you are a candidate for implants and this depends on your bone quality and quantity.
If you’re in the San Antonio area, you’re welcome to schedule a free consultation with Dr. Bec to sit down and discuss dental implants, your options and what’s possible. Wherever you are, if you are concerned about bone loss, then you’ll want to look into implants.
What Do Our Patients Say About How They Look and Feel?
Watch this video!