Why does bone loss occur when teeth are lost?

Bone needs stimulation to maintain its form and density. In the case of the bone that surrounds and supports teeth, the necessary stimulation comes from the teeth themselves. When a tooth is lost, the lack of stimulation causes loss of this bone. Generally, there is a 25% decrease in width of bone during the first year, after tooth loss and an overall decrease in height over the next few years. Over time 65% of the bone resorbs, If no measure is taken to preserve the bone.

And it doesn’t stop there. After alveolar bone is lost, the bone beneath it, basal bone — the jawbone proper — also begins to resorb (melt away). This leads to some particularly serious aesthetic and functional problems, particularly in people who have lost all of their teeth. The more teeth lost, the more function lost.