- Joined
- Mar 2, 2017
- Messages
- 4
[I don't know if this is the best subforum for this posting but I figure that some kind of surgery might be or will be in order for me.]
Early last month I, a guy in his late 60s, noticed that my LEFT cheek is now sunken. In that same time when I noticed this, my facial skin, in the area of the LEFT cheek sinking, looked quite ruddy to me as if it had changed for some reason-- my face usually isn't ruddy in color. The sunken LEFT cheek remains that way today. I looked up on the Internet what could cause this. I found some medical reason explaining why just 1 cheek would sink. And then I finally found the matter of a tooth extraction causing this cheek sinking due to bone loss. At first I thought that tooth #15 (an upper LEFT one) was pulled out a few years ago but today the clinic told me that that tooth was extracted in 2011.
I'm wondering of course if this sinking will continue and what can be done about it. Can a super costly implant fill in the space of lost #15 and will that implant cause the LEFT cheek to appear normal? Since the extraction occurred 6 yrs. ago, is it too late for an implant to be installed if that might or will help?
I also recall reading some online self-help for this. In that self-help recommendation, one is told to do an exercise by filling the mouth with air to puff out the cheeks. Then there was something about causing a strong smile while fully wrinkling the nose. I don't know what this is supposed to do but I thought maybe it improves some facial muscles to bring about cheek fullness. Is this just baloney?
[Later this month I meet with my current dentist who's not the one who pulled out #15. He works though in the same clinic where my past dentist who did the extraction worked 'til ~ 1.5 yrs. ago.]
Can any of you tell me more about this cosmetic problem and what can be done about it? Is a bone graft done for this?
Early last month I, a guy in his late 60s, noticed that my LEFT cheek is now sunken. In that same time when I noticed this, my facial skin, in the area of the LEFT cheek sinking, looked quite ruddy to me as if it had changed for some reason-- my face usually isn't ruddy in color. The sunken LEFT cheek remains that way today. I looked up on the Internet what could cause this. I found some medical reason explaining why just 1 cheek would sink. And then I finally found the matter of a tooth extraction causing this cheek sinking due to bone loss. At first I thought that tooth #15 (an upper LEFT one) was pulled out a few years ago but today the clinic told me that that tooth was extracted in 2011.
I'm wondering of course if this sinking will continue and what can be done about it. Can a super costly implant fill in the space of lost #15 and will that implant cause the LEFT cheek to appear normal? Since the extraction occurred 6 yrs. ago, is it too late for an implant to be installed if that might or will help?
I also recall reading some online self-help for this. In that self-help recommendation, one is told to do an exercise by filling the mouth with air to puff out the cheeks. Then there was something about causing a strong smile while fully wrinkling the nose. I don't know what this is supposed to do but I thought maybe it improves some facial muscles to bring about cheek fullness. Is this just baloney?
[Later this month I meet with my current dentist who's not the one who pulled out #15. He works though in the same clinic where my past dentist who did the extraction worked 'til ~ 1.5 yrs. ago.]
Can any of you tell me more about this cosmetic problem and what can be done about it? Is a bone graft done for this?