How removing my wisdom tooth changed my face shape

removing wisdom tooth affect face
I had my wisdom tooth extracted in the early part of this year. It was a procedure I’ve postponed again and yet again. But I finally garnered sufficient courage to get rid of it, thinking it’ll put a stop to all the pain and inconveniences I was experiencing. Well, it did but it brought on another set of problem—the left side of my face especially near my left jaw does not look like how it was before! Under certain lightings, I actually look like I have a sagging jowl. (T_T)

Started with a swollen cheek
The whole wisdom tooth extraction was actually quite straightforward but obviously, my mouth was pried wide open during the entire procedure and quite a bit of pressure was applied in my mouth to remove that tooth. When it was all done, I was told to expect some bleeding and swelling but little did I suspect how it would affect my face contour. My cheeks were swollen for a few days and after two weeks, I noticed that the swell near the jaw area never quite subsided.

Impact older skin
My husband had a similar procedure done years earlier and he seemed to have recovered well without any noticeable damage to his face. He told me to be patient and my face would recover in time. It’s been nearly 10 months now and I don’t see any improvement. So I’ve started to wonder if it was such a good idea to have my wisdom tooth extracted at my age. I thought that perhaps it is harder for older skin to regain its elasticity once the skin gets stretched and I might not be too far from that speculation going by a question raised by a 44-year-old on realself.com.

“Hi, I am 44 years old and just started metal braces a month ago. I had an appointment to get 4 teeth extracted (my orthodontist told me it is necessary to create space) but ended up canceling because a friend of mine scared me to death. She had her braces after 40 and had 4 teeth pulled, and according to her, not-so-supple over-40 skins and muscles would not be able to adjust to the extraction, and your face would just collapse, sink and sag. Is this common?”

This is the answer from a professional cosmetic dentist:
“YES, extracting teeth before orthodontics at ANY age can and will dramatically change the shape of your face as well as the shape and size of your upper lip. A study was done on identical twins where one sister was treated with extractions before orthodontics and the other twin sister was treated without extractions. After completion of the orthodontics they no longer even looked like twins because their faces were radically different. Guess which sister had the more attractive face…you’re correct if you guessed the one treated without extractions.”

How Can Extracting Wisdom Tooth Affect Your Face
Losing youthful contour
And here’s a quote taken from another story that is more specific to the extraction of wisdom tooth:

“I have noticed significant change in my facial contour. I am not 100% sure why this has happened but I do know that it happened after my teeth were removed. The right side of my face seems to be receding and my jaw looks shortened. I no longer have the fullness and volume that I once had on that side. My cheek seems to sag and caused a deeper nasolabial fold and larger under eye circle. Overall I feel like my face has lost it’s youthful contour and makes me look older and more gaunt.”

Seeking professional aid
Although I don’t go for facials, I massage my face quite regularly but I have not seen any improvement. My husband doesn’t think that the sag is all that obvious but I’m still not too happy about it. I mean, that part of my face wasn’t like that before! I’m not sure what I can do apart from seeking aesthetic treatments, which I’m not keen on. Maybe I’ll go for facials and see if the damage can be reversed by some deft fingers.

Word of advice
Anyway, I wrote all of that not to scare you but to share my experience so that you may wish to consider having your teeth problems treated when you’re younger. If you’re over 40 and needs to have a dental procedure done, I suggest you ask your dentist if the damage can be minimized. Then again, what happened to me or the 44-year-old may not happen to all. But if you have experienced something similar or know of someone who experienced such, do share in the comments ya?

Comments

  1. mina says:

    Were your wisdom tooth impacted?
    My doctor said I should remove them like 5 years ago.And yet I afraid my face get even worst.

  2. Sesame says:

    I am not sure. What does it mean to be impacted?

  3. Jenny says:

    I got braces at 28, and my wisdom teeth out at 30. I’m 30 now and my face is dramatically different. I used to look like a teenager yet before all this dental work and now only 2 years later nobody mistakes me for younger anymore. My cheeks used to be full, now they have deflated, my temples have hollowed and my jawline is more narrow. It consumes my thoughts everyday, and I’m not sure what kind of doctor to go see. I am certain that the braces had something to do with this, I’m not sure what else it could be, however the orthodontist insists not so.

  4. Fatma says:

    Oh my God i have the same problem. I had plumb cheecks now they are all gone. I have deeper lines around my nose and my lips are down. I find it hard to smile and i have deep under eyes circles. Ppl think i’m sick or lost a lot of weight. Tgis whole thing really bothers me i’m not sure if u can have wisdom tooth implant? If it’s possible i’d go for it in an instant.

  5. corine says:

    The same thing happened to me. I got my wisdom tooth removed back in October and I look worse everyday. I look like ive aged 10 years. I now suffer from severe bdd. The dentist insist it has nothing to due with the wisdom tooth extraction but I know thats not true. I hate looking in the mirror.

    Has your appearance improved?

  6. Bernie says:

    There is something called ncr or face pulling. People say it can correct the face and scull. Neurochranial something, worth sesrching for on google

  7. Vina says:

    Hi I have actually had NCR done and I have to tell you that it does help correct the shape of the face and the hollowness that wisdom tooth extraction causes. Google it and find a practitioner in your area and give it a try. The procedure is a little shocking in that they use a endonasal balloon up your nose and this readjusts your sphenoid bone sometimes you hear a loud crack sound but there is no pain just sound and in a instant I noticed my cheeks were lifted and my face looked firmer. Avoid wisdom tooth extraction at all costs and look into face pulling.

  8. Rachel says:

    Hi! So i recently got my right side wisdom teeth removed and that side looks more sunken in. I already have high cheek bones as it is and now it makes me look sick. Im young and dont want to reserve to plastic surgery. What should I do?:/

  9. jessy says:

    Yes, Wisdom tooth removal changes our face shape but if we do not remove it at a right time we can’t bare the pain its create in future.

  10. roman says:

    Yes I agree with you Jessy.

  11. prsca says:

    I have just removed one of my wisdom tooth can i ask my dentist to replace tooth lost with a fAlse teeth

  12. rogger says:

    Hmm,Yes you can replace lost tooth with a false tooth are otherwise it change the shape of your face.

  13. arya says:

    Hi! I had wisdom teeth extracted in my 20s but they had already done so much damage to my back molars that i had to have root canals,,, eventually the root canals went bad for some reason so at 27 i had to have back molars pulled. Thats when i started noticing faint marionette lines… i couldnt believe it! i thought it was because of extractions but everyone just chuckled at me.
    so ever since then my face bothered me… now im 39 and it seems even more pronounced of course.
    I was told originally by dentist that i had to have implants otherwise the upper molars wold have problems. Has anyone tried having implants and did they correct the issue? Has anyone tried any kind of cosmetic procedure that has helped? I will look into NCR that sounds interesting. THANKS!

  14. Luella says:

    I am distraught! This happens to me. I’m a model, or was. I had an extraction last year in June and the swelling never seem to go. It is really noticeable in photos, I almost look as though I have had a stroke, as there is an obvious droop to the left side of my face now. It gets worse and worse with each month. I’m a resillent woman, but this is bringing me to tears as my income has been affected, evidence to the noticeable change. It is exactly as some women here have described. I’ve researched into dental implants, and think I will move forward with it. I have had all teeth removed, and the side which they did not extract from the root turned out well. My advice, do not have your lower wisdom teeth taken from the root if you can. I would welcome any advice on solving this x

  15. Jos says:

    When my wisdom teeth of jaw were extracted my face looked like 10 years older to week to another, even people called me Ms., it was when I was 28 and before !have a strong jaw, I hope those exercises help me. Other thing that helped me to accept it was the fact that nowadays I’m using some “posts” (sorry I don’t know the right name in English but they are cement on the 6th ones teeth of the jaw, that has improved the look of my cheek. I would like you to see how radically my face changed, I said to my orthodontist and she denied that. I hope that when I finished my treatment look better than now.

  16. hongngoc says:

    of of these stories sound horrifying. im about to have 2 wisdom teeth removed because they grow horizontally against my other back molars. what should i do? is there any else to treat these teeth without removing them? im 23 and people already say i look like im in my 30s. that’s sad but even sadder if i age so badly after removing these teeth, i’m gonna look like a 40 year old , would i? please help

  17. joshua says:

    Same thing happen to me. I don’t even feel like I look human anymore I look like a mutant. My wisdom teeth were extremely impacted and parts of my upper jaw & tissue had to be removed with extractions. the surgeon made the judgement call not to bone graft the sites which resulted in further detorioration of my face. I had braces right after which significantly pushed my upper & lower jaw back. After all that, this dentist decided to adjust my bite which shortened my face. I use to be a really good looking guy. People were always nice & pleasant to me now people either quicky turn away when they see me or just stare at me like like they’re trying to figure out what in the world happened to me. I really wish I had known better. I despise everything about life now.

  18. John says:

    I had wisdom teeth removed at 18 and I have the opposite problem of what most are talking about, I look ridiculously young, like my jaw never grew and my face looks the same as it did when I was 15 but I am 28. I hate people asking my age cause they never believe my actual age. No women are attracted to me cause I look more like a boy then a man. I think getting wisdom teeth pulled ruined any chances for more jaw growth.

    For anyone saying “enjoy looking younger!” No, I do NOT like it, I just want to look like a normal man, theres 16 year olds who look older then me, people treat me stupid or dont take me seriously. Women are not attracted to me and it wont help me when im 40 because I still wont look like a normal younger man ill just look older but just lacking masculinity.

    What can I do ? I am currently saving for jaw surgery BUT Itll take me 10+ years to save up for it at this rate.

  19. Audi says:

    Tooth impaction means that your wisdom tooth has not erupted from the gum, more or less. That it is stuck within the bone.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth_impaction

  20. anita hodge says:

    Just a word of warning to people – I have just had an upper molar removed over 9 days ago. It was a tough extraction, the dental assistant had to hold my head as the dentist had trouble yanking the tooth out. The tooth had to come out as it had one side missing to it. Unfortunately, I am still in pain, on two lots of antibiotics, face swelling affecting sinus area on right side of face but the thing I have noticed is that my face has dropped/drooped on one side producing what looks like a jowl of the jaw line!!! Please think twice or three times regarding tooth extractions, its not always as simple as it seems and the affects can be life changing. Still need to go back to the dentist regarding the mess I am left in.

  21. Felicia says:

    Does anyone know of a dentist or oral surgeon in NYC area that will put dental implants where the wisdom teeth once were? I had all four wisdom teeth removed 16 months ago and it has totally destroyed my face. I am at a loss.

  22. MY WILL says:

    i think i will have my tooth get extracted,im scared because of your all comments,
    fate does not help me!

  23. CSophia says:

    When I had my 4 impacted wisdom teeth removed, a big profit for a couple of surgeons, I had painful swelling that lasted for weeks. I almost died from infection. Then as the wounds healed, I found I could no longer play my piano concertos and fast Etudes. My neck shifted forward and bite changed, and I lost coordination, strength, and mobility in my arms and neck. My face changed and became uglier. I was only 22 and had been radiant and had a cute smile, and the procedure aged me at least 5 years. Then I had my septum “Fixed” as a complication of this bite shift, and, well, it’s been all over form there. Surgery is rarely the answer, and for women, it can not only destroy your appearance and coordination, you can become chemically hypersensitive and develop encephalitis as well, much more easily than men, who are not made to carry children or be hypersensitive to chemicals. And until recently and still, all this made us “nuts” as women. But look, look how many people are suffering because of this egocentric, profit-based approach to the body. It is NOT scientific, as real science honors the holism of the body and the nervous system. There is no way to account for the potential damage of cutting into bone, tissue, and nerves.

  24. nigel farage says:

    I do remember getting my wisdom tooth extracted with the help of my dentist at Village Family Dentist in Granville, OH some months ago and felt a slight change in my facial appearance – although it was not a drastic one but I guess the emptiness in that area might have caused it. Later on, I don’t recall anyone telling me I look different – cz I kept asking people about my facial appearance long after the treatment.

  25. Rex says:

    Your face seems to be definitely damaged by your orthodontist. Removing teeth, whether they be premolars or wisdoms, and then adding on braces, will almost always shorten your jaws and cause an overall recessed or concaved appearance. If there’s an orthotropist near you, which there probably isn’t since they’re so uncommon, go see him. If not, study more on the subject of orthotropics and mewing, and maybe you’ll learn a thing or two that’ll help restore your face to what it was.

  26. Rex says:

    Your face has been fucked by conventional orthodontics, like many others sadly. The problem could’ve been prevented when you were young by orthotropics. but no one knows about the study and practice of it

  27. Rex says:

    An upper molar removed? I’ve never heard of that being done before. Do you mean wisdoms? Anyways, the teeth are the backbone of the face and, without one of the biggest teeth of your face, it will most likely sink and recede in the long term, not even including the short term side affects you have mentioned. The molars play a pivotal role in the appearance and stability of the face and when one is removed it can throw the face into total disarray. not good stuff

  28. Linzi says:

    I had all four of my wisdom teeth removed in my 20s .
    I have never noticed or had any face changing effects .Just relief from pain and infection .
    I have never heard of this problem .
    I now have to have a lower back molar removed and am going to cancel and asked to be referred to a gum specialist after reading these posts

  29. Mrs Patrick Anne says:

    Please I want to remove my up and down wisdom teeth. Any side effects I am 41

  30. Dentist in West Toronto says:

    Wisdom Tooth Extractions is the best treatment for wisdom teeth and it does not affect the shape of the mouth.

  31. Dentist in Saskatoon says:

    If you are worried about the shape of the face because of wisdom teeth, then you can go for a wisdom tooth extraction treatment. It does not affect the shape of the face.

  32. Teeth Braces says:

    Great Post!!
    Thanks for sharing such an informative post.

  33. Bja says:

    Did you ever get anywhere with this?

  34. R A says:

    I have had a lot of orthodontic work. I am now 30 years old and I had my wisdom teeth removed + started Invisalign 6 months ago. In the last couple of months I have noticed my lower cheeks completely sunken in, I also have extra smile lines that never used to be there. It looks like I have lost weight but I haven’t. My face has completely changed. I see now that this happens to a lot of people. It was recommended I remove my wisdom teeth so that my teeth with shift faster but I have so much regret now. I am so sad that it will never change back. I also had molars removed when I was younger so I think that I have just lost all this bone definition and the wisdom teeth extractions just made it so much worse. I only have 24 teeth now (you are supposed to have 32). I wish there was something I could do to change my jaw back to how it used to to look / something to have my face appear fuller in the lower half of my face again. Has anyone used filler for this problem before?

  35. Elle says:

    This is exactly what happened to me. It has been traumatic, destroyed my self esteem, gave me body dysmorphic disorder… I used to be really attractive. I had a full face, high cheekbones and good jaw. Now I have huge holes/indents under my cheeks, my jawbone has basically collapsed and shrunk dramatically.., my face looks sooo thin even with the 20 pounds I have gained purposely to try and have a fuller face. I also have horrible marionette lines now.,, oh, my other teeth shifted horribly too and became crooked within a couple months! ontop of that I get terrible migraines all the time, I never did before! I had braces put on to help realign my bite, which is somewhat helping the bite, but my issues are still there sadly. I have lost a LOT of bone in my face, still have extremely sunken cheeks, my jaw bone has disintegrated dramatically and my bite is still SO weak. Worst of all, my dentist did not warn me to get bone grafting or anything when I had all four of them pulled out at age 32. Had I known all this would happen I would have never had them removed. I do not look like the same person at all. I am grateful for the braces, but devastated about my facial structure changes. This all happened when I had them removed less than two years ago. I have had braces on for a year and a half. I’m wondering what can be done about my bone loss in my jaw now. I heard that if you want dental implants they need to happen at the time of the extraction and you must have had bone grafting prior, I did not, now I’m worried there is no hope and fearful that my jaw will continue to shrink.
    I’m aware that the dentist has destroyed my face. My question is, given that I have not had bone grafting, is there anything that can be done? Do I have any hope? I still have some time in braces.
    I’m sorry this has happened to so many people. You’re not alone. ?

  36. Dr. Pooja Gohil says:

    Great Stuff

  37. Tina says:

    Same. I had additional wisdom teeth and they took them out without permission, resulting in a slanted face and lip. Now my jawbone has been significantly reabsorbed on one side. They said any change and, at the last minute is when they told me, after the parent paying had already committed and was intent on going through with it and already pissed, that any change would result in a return to my original shape.

    It was one of the worst things done to me, because it’s permanent damage that has affected my career and ability to not frown unintentionally. I had to retrain myself with speech, too. These experiences used to be online, but there is too much money in the industry and they have taken over the results. Anything dentistry developed to reduce these issues came after they knowingly damaged faces. And tools and blind followers of the system (Amy established system) confidently quote alternatives like grafting as if people who weren’t presented with those options when they weren’t popularized to eliminate potential lawsuits should know better… And dentistry still doesn’t account for potential damage to nerves and facial structure and early aging overtime. They’re still not upfront about those risks in a reasonable amount of time or at all. Like the medical industry, it doesn’t remember mistakes and avoids admitting the potential of currently making mistakes.

  38. Tina says:

    Sorry, I had the impression you were about to get your first surgery just to look younger. I do empathize with your experience. They must have given you an absorbed bone result. And if it makes you any happier, that definitely can result in mouth and forehead lines earlier than otherwise, and without a second surgery. Most people see it as a loss, but you might not.

  39. Tina says:

    Sorry, I had the impression you were about to get your first surgery just to look younger. I do empathize with your experience. They must have given you an absorbed bone result. And if it makes you any happier, that definitely can result in mouth and forehead lines earlier than otherwise, and without a second surgery. Most people see it as a loss, but you might not.

  40. Tina says:

    You can look into grafting. But from a common sense perspective (and if you don’t have that dealing with dentists/doctors, you’re at their mercy), when they take bone from your jaw (mandible), it seems it would do the same thing they are attempting to correct, weaken your jaw. Yet no one will tell you that. Surprise, surprise. When I look at the before and after photos that are supposed to reverse weakened face muscle and wrinkles, the opposite is present with grafting If you want to return to modeling,you should know that jaw weakening results in early onset wrinkles. Like taking the foundation out of the house, the top falters. They can take the bone from other places in your body or a cadaver. I would search risks with whatever you do. After reading up on it, I don’t want to risk it,plus I was screwed so royally, I don’t see the sense in going back to surgery for me personally.
    . Someone else mentioned NCR and I can find nothing so far. But you might. Not trying to discourage you, just give you the fair warning I didn’t get.

  41. Tina says:

    Sorry for your loss. You can try slicked back hair, a goatee, and sophisticated clothes like linen or poly grey tees instead of white t-shirts. Vests would be good with suits and mature watches would help. I think that aging your style would leave you happier than more complications and risks from a second surgery, unless that surgery was likely to not provide more damage and restore you to levels before. But if this is all that’s bothering you,it’s fixable. Cologne works, too.

  42. Tina says:

    My last comment keeps reappearing in place of the new. I just gave you a really long explanation and warning about grafting, specifically mandible grafting and facial wrinkles, which happens with jaw weakening. It’s a choice,though. And there are other types of grafting too,ones that don’t take bone from your face,but a feast body or your body part

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