27. Complete edentulism. Alterations related to temporomandibular joints. Alterations related to maxillofacial muscles.
Explains how complete edentulism changes the jaws, mucosa, face, temporomandibular joints and masticatory muscles, and how these changes affect chewing, speech and appearance. It contrasts the opposite resorption patterns of the maxilla and mandible in a comparison table, and includes a labelled figure of the edentulous ridges. A functional consequences table closes the note, linking the changes to the aims of a complete denture.
Topic 27 of 75 in the MU Sofia syllabus for Preclinics of Dental Prosthetics (Dental Medicine, Year 2). The free AceMed note covers it in 6 sections, about 283 words (3 min of reading), with 14 flashcards.
In this note
Introduction
The jaws and mucosa
The face
Changes related to the TMJs
Changes related to the maxillofacial muscles
Functional consequences
Introduction
Complete edentulism, the loss of all teeth in one or both jaws, changes far more than the dental arches. Bone, mucosa, muscles, TMJs, saliva and even the face adapt to the new situation, and every complete denture has to be built around these changes.
The jaws and mucosa
Without teeth the alveolar bone loses its stimulus and resorbs, fastest in the first months after extraction and then slowly for life. The pattern differs between jaws:
The upper arch ends up smaller than the lower, a false Class III ("pseudo-progenia"). The mucosa thins, loses resilience and heals more slowly; salivary flow often falls, which weakens denture retention.
The face
Loss of the occlusal vertical dimension: the lower face shortens.
The chin moves forward and up; the nose and chin come closer.
Lips lose support and fall inward; the red of the lips thins; the nasolabial folds deepen.
Corners of the mouth droop; saliva gathers there, causing angular cheilitis.
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