Notice how older people without any teeth have their lips sort of pushed back and How it seems like the lower half of their face has practically collapsed.
Our teeth are like the support structures in our mouth. The top and bottom rows of teeth rest on something called the “alveolar ridge”. After a tooth is lost, the surrounding gum area undergoes a remodeling process. The ridges that the teeth rest on slowly “melt” away basically removing a part of the structure which forms your jaw.
Residual ridge resorption happens most rapidly within the first year of extractions but it continues for a lifetime at a slower pace.
So what happens when these ridges and the supporting structure recede?
The bottom half of your face collapses
Prognathia (found in people with underbites) can increase which sticks your chin further out
More wrinkles form around the mouth
Lips become thinner in appearance
The angle of your jawline changes
The maxilla (upper jaw bone and one of the most important bones for attractiveness) becomes smaller.
The rate at which RRR progresses varies.
It doesn’t always happen.
The effects of residual ridge resorption is most commonly seen on older folks who have no teeth. But getting a couple or even a single tooth removed has the same effect just on a smaller scale.So get replaced your missing teeth asap.
