It’s a little-known fact that when the American Society of Plastic Surgeons first formed in 1921, they called themselves the American Association of Oral Surgeons, and they required members to have both medical and dental degrees. They realized that the factors influencing facial aging were complex and often required an interdisciplinary approach. Although this requirement was dropped to expand membership, the basic wisdom remains: facial aging is complex, and there are often many ways to achieve rejuvenation, including well-made dentures.

Understanding the “Concertina Effect”

You’ve probably laughed at the hilarious pictures of babies who look like old people. But did you ever stop to ask why that might be the case? Scientists have, and they’ve come up with a name for it: the concertina effect. Basically, the human face is made up of lots of parts that develop and change at different rates: skin, muscles, bones, and teeth are all in flux.

But it’s the bones and teeth, which provide the structural support for the face, that drive the relationship. When these are fully developed in our youth, they stretch the skin smooth. But when they are either not developed or get worn, broken, or lost, then there’s not enough support for the skin and tissues, which then have to fold and sag, creating many common features of aging, such as:

  • Wrinkles like lipstick lines around the mouth
  • Folds like nasolabial folds
  • Jowls caused by cheeks that hang under the chin
  • Loose skin under the chin (turkey neck)

In fact, many of the aspects of facial aging can be tracked back to these changes in teeth and bones.

As we get older, our body naturally remodels the bone in our jaws, which contribute heavily to facial aging. The process accelerates even more when teeth are lost. Teeth stimulate the bone, so once they are gone, the body tends to remove even more bone. This accelerating loss of support leads to ever-greater signs of facial aging.

Why Traditional Dentures Don’t Rejuvenate

So now you understand how tooth loss can make you look older. But perhaps you think that any set of dentures will make you look younger. Yes and no.

While it’s true that any dentures might make you look younger, it’s a case of something is better than nothing, Traditional dentures give only limited rejuvenation, for several reasons.

First, traditional dentures only seek to replace your teeth, but the problem is more than that. You’ve also lost bone mass in your jaw. That would have to be accounted for to achieve true rejuvenation.

Even if traditional denture dentists wanted to try to replace the lost bone, they lack a good method for measuring and achieving the proper facial proportions.

Traditional dentures also have the problem of instability. Because they’re poorly fitted, dentures try to make them more stable by placing teeth more inward in the dental arch–closer to the tongue.

The FOY® Dentures Difference

But FOY® Dentures are capable of achieving more rejuvenation than traditional dentures because they counter these problems. FOY® Dentures are designed to replace not just your teeth, but lost bone mass as well. They can achieve that with precision thanks in part to the science of neuromuscular dentistry. Neuromuscular dentistry allows a FOY® Dentures dentist to look at the tension in the jaw muscles and find the optimal resting position for the jaw. This corresponds to the position of youthful development, and, combined with an understanding of facial proportions, helps FOY® Dentures dentists get the balance right.

Finally, because FOY® Dentures fit so securely, there’s not as much worry that the dentures will slip or tip out. This allows the teeth to be placed in a more natural and more supportive position, helping to give your lips and your face greater fullness.

While traditional dentures can make you look older, FOY® Dentures can lead to fewer facial folds and wrinkles, less jowls, and a reduction in the appearance of turkey neck.

See the Difference for Yourself

Do  you want to learn how much of a facelift you can get from FOY® Dentures? Please call (614) 848-5001 today for an appointment with FOY® Dentures dentist Dr. Mike Firouzian at Firouzian Dentistry in Columbus, OH.