Osteoporosis is one of those medical words that integrates itself into the vocabulary of health-conscious women. We hear it, and we think of menopause, bone loss and other aspects of growing older.
Women don't often associate osteoporosis with their oral health, but perhaps they should. The erosion of jawbone--whether secondary to menopause or due to an unrelated condition--can result in (and from) tooth loss, mild facial deformities and pain in and around the temporomandibular joint, which connects the upper and lower jaws. Alveolar bone, the kind of bone around the roots of the teeth, is susceptible to the process of osteoporosis. It tends to erode quickly when calcium is depleted from the body.
Among people who are missing teeth, the process is even more rapid. Normally, teeth stimulate alveolar bone to remain intact. In cases of significant tooth loss, alveolar bone shrinks away to the dense bone underneath. Poorly fitting dentures may worsen this process by moving around loosely over the gums and putting additional pressure on bone, particularly in the lower jaw.
Osteoporosis of the jaw can be diagnosed by X-ray. To diagnose osteoporosis throughout the body, additional tests are required to help identify the cause of bone loss. When related to menopause, bone erosion may be treated with calcium replacement or estrogen replacement therapy under the supervision of a gynecologist.
For people who are missing teeth, dental implants have the dual advantage of providing an anchor for false teeth and stalling osteoporosis of the jaw by distributing the forces of chewing more evenly. One style of implant, called a root-form implant, can be positioned in the bone of either jaw, where it functions much like the natural roots of the teeth by holding dentures firmly in place. Another kind of implant is positioned upward through the lower jaw, providing an anchor for false teeth.
Last Updated: September 27, 2009