In an ideal world, everyone can keep all their teeth for a lifetime. However, injury and tooth decay may have other ideas. Tooth extraction may be needed to preserve your overall health, but it can lead to oral changes afterward. Namely, patients may see changes in jawbone density and structure. But why does the jawbone shrink after tooth extraction?
If you have had a tooth pulled, we recommend working with a dentist for extraction site preservation. Later, we will outline what this might look like. First, to the question at hand.
Why Does the Jawbone Shrink After Tooth Extraction?
We often think of bones as rock-hard, stable structures within our bodies. The rock-hard aspect is true. But it is also true that bone cells experience turnover just like your skin. The body continually remodels its bones based on diet, environmental factors, injury, and more. We call this process bone remodeling, and it is part of what makes the body’s skeletal system so resilient.
The jaw will naturally shift over time as this remodeling occurs. However, tooth extraction can lead to more notable changes, including:
- Loss of bone mass: Bone where the tooth once was will degrade and weaken.
- Changes in jaw shape: Weakened or shifting bone can alter the face’s shape.
- Shifts in tooth position: Teeth may move due to differences in pressure on them.
How a Missing Tooth Affects Jawbone Remodeling
Environmental factors cause the body to adapt in a range of ways. When a tooth is removed, that is a drastic change for the environment of your mouth.
Changes in Bite Pressure
For years, your jaw worked a certain way when chewing and eating. Pressure was distributed over each tooth in the same way with each bite.
Take even one of those teeth out of the mix, and you disrupt that balance. Now, whatever tooth was opposite the removed one suddenly has no counterpart. When you bite down, there is less stimulation to that part of the mouth.
The empty socket receives no pressure, which signals to the body that this area is less vital to sustain. The remaining tooth may also lose stimulation, leading to decreased blood flow to it.
Can Jawbone Shrinkage Be Reversed?
In most cases, the answer is a fortunate yes! One of the most effective ways to address jawbone shrinkage is via bone grafting. The name might sound intimidating. And the process might sound odd at first, but the results speak for themselves.
It involves placing a grafting element into the gums where the tooth once rested. This material then encourages the body to build over it, strengthening the jawbone over time.
Modern bone graft materials can come from a range of sources, including:
- Autograft: Material taken from the patient’s own body (typically hips, leg, or ribs).
- Allograft: Material taken from a human cadaver.
- Xenograft: Material taken from an animal source.
- Synthetic: Materials made in a lab and customized for your needs.
Prevention Is Always Best
While jawbone deterioration can be treated, changes to the jaw’s shape are harder to address. Thus, we recommend taking action before the jaw has time for significant changes. As with any health concern, early treatment saves you time and money.
Preventing Additional Bone Loss
Bone grafting is only a temporary solution. While it can rebuild the jawbone, if the gap in your smile remains, the problem will eventually return. Patients will need an additional solution.
For long-term jawbone stability, we recommend replacing the tooth with a dental implant. Dental implants fuse directly to the jawbone and function like a normal tooth. That means chewing and biting will once again stimulate blood flow to that part of the jaw. More blood flow means better bone remodeling. Better bone remodeling means a more stable jawbone.
The Effect of Aging on the Jawbone
Tooth extraction is not the only cause of jawbone shrinkage. The body’s bones conduct increasingly less efficient remodeling over time. Patients with conditions like osteoporosis can have significant remodeling impairments, leading to weakened bones.
As patients age, changes in the skeleton are normal. We particularly recommend jawbone preservation treatment to older patients who have lost a tooth. The body may more rapidly lose bone mass in the jaw, leading to faster changes in jaw structure, stability, and shape.
Start Sooner to Preserve Your Jaw
Visit a skilled dentist in Glendora to start on preserving your jawbone function. From bone grafting to tooth replacement, we deliver a range of services.
