Happy 2012! It’s been a while since our last post, we hope everyone has been having a great year so far!
I just came across an interesting article in the California Dental Society Journal: January 2012. What we have come to recognize as the aging process (getting wrinkles, graying hair, thinning hair, etc.) has just added a dental component–shrinking jaws!
In studies spanning the decades, researchers studied molds taken on subjects’ jaws in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. Unequivocally, they found a decrease in jaw length and width, leading to eventual crowding of the teeth. The amount varied from patient to patient, and whether or not they had their wisdom teeth removed had no effect.
What we can take away from this is that it’s a normal phenomenon, and if we are planning for major bite constructions for patients, it’s hard to have an outcome that is completely stable in the future–adjust expectations accordingly. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
Smiles,
Vivian Tang, D.D.S.