Page 18 - Southdown Dental Implant Book

One: What Happens When My Teeth Are Missing? | 17 The most important thing you need to know is this: Your natural tooth root stimulates the bone in your jaw, below your gum line... ... and the bones in your jaw need this kind of stimu- lation in order to remain strong, dense and healthy. WITHOUT STIMULATION FROM THE ROOT OF EACH TOOTH, THE BONE IN YOUR JAW STARTS TO CHANGE... AND NOT IN A GOOD WAY In the absence of root-deep stimulus, your jawbone actually begins to atrophy, or shrink. As the bone in your jaw continually withers away, the corners of your mouth droop... and your facial muscles start to shift out of position, completely changing what you’re used to seeing when you look in the mirror.