Many people assume gum disease just harms your gums, given its name. That said, the condition does more than damage the tissues around your teeth. It also warps the shape of your face as it worsens, causing your good looks to decline. Your Dallas dentist will even show you how that’s possible with some handy explanations. To that end, keep reading to learn how gum disease affects face shape and tips on avoiding (or managing) this oral issue.
What Exactly *is* Gum Disease?
Before getting into the face shape discussion, you’ll need to know the basics of gum disease. Those facts will provide you with the relevant context.
In short, gum disease is an infection of your gums – the soft tissues around your teeth. It usually stems from plaque buildup caused by poor eating, bad oral hygiene, etc. As it takes root, it begins as a mild gum inflammation with only minor symptoms: gingivitis. The disease shifts into a full-blown infection – periodontitis – if it isn’t treated in time.
The truth is that gum disease is awful for oral health in its second stage. Once it turns into periodontitis, it can make your gums ache and bleed, loosen your teeth, and worse.
How Does It Affect Your Face?
By acting upon your gums, gum disease can cause your face’s shape to degrade. This process makes you look older than you are and appear worn out.
The problem is that severe gum disease can lead to tooth loss. As it erodes your body’s gum and jaw tissues, teeth can fall out and deprive your jaw of stimulus. Your jawbone will then shrink and trigger facial collapse – a condition that morphs your face to look sunken, hollow, and aged.
Missing teeth can easily be replaced, but a shrunken jaw is hard to fix. Doing so can require invasive bone grafts that take time to implement.
Tips on Avoiding & Managing Gum Disease
You can keep gum disease from affecting your face by avoiding or managing it. Given that fact, try using the following tips:
- Always Clean Your Mouth – With twice-daily brushing and once-daily flossing, less plaque will build in your mouth. You’ll then be in less danger of getting gum disease.
- Eat Mouth-Healthy Foods – Sticky and sugary foods often cling to teeth and cause plaque to build up. So, eat mouth-healthy foods like lean proteins, leafy greens, and crisp fruits instead.
- Get Dental Checkups – Since dentists can detect and treat gum disease before it worsens, remember to attend dental checkups every six months.
Gum disease affects face shape, but you can take control of your situation. Talk to your dental provider about possible treatments – your looks will stay more youthful that way!
About the Practice
Dental Center of Lakewood is based in Dallas, TX. Led by Drs. Travis Spillman and Jacquelyn Green, our practice takes pride in giving patients truly amazing smiles. We achieve such results by offering preventive, cosmetic, and restorative treatments, as well as emergency dental care. Our team is even equipped to treat and manage cases of gum disease! For more details or to book a visit, please reach us on our website or by phone at (214)-823-5253.