If you’ve ever wondered, “Will dental implants lift my face?” or, “Is my face sagging from missing teeth making me look older than I really am?”—you’re not alone. I just sat down with a group of Nuvia patients and asked them these exact questions.
And the answers were honest, unfiltered, and surprisingly moving. These patients opened up about what missing teeth had done to their confidence, their energy, and even the way they felt about their age.
If you’ve ever wondered whether full mouth dental implants are “just cosmetic,” these patient stories paint a much bigger picture.
**Actual NUVIA patient(s) who may have been compensated for sharing their story. Not all those who come in for a consultation are eligible for this treatment. Results may vary in individual cases.
Missing Teeth Can Age You
One of the first things I asked this group of patients was how their smile affected how old they felt day to day. As they answered, it became obvious this was something they carried for a long time.
Cynthia responded, “I felt like I should be sitting in a rocking chair eating baby food. It made me feel so old.”
Michelle explained, “It scared me so much because I'm like, if I feel like this at thirty five, forty years old, where am I gonna be when I'm fifty or sixty?”
Ricky put it plainly:
“It wears on your face. And then whenever you don't have teeth to support your muscles and stuff, that's just not a look that you want, even at any age.”
Missing teeth aren’t just something you can hide by not smiling. They can cause a facial structure problem that can make you feel like you look older than you actually are. That’s why many people searching for a solution ask: “Will dental implants lift my face?”
And the truth is, having a healthy, strong set of supporting teeth can change how you look. But just like the effects of missing teeth go beyond appearances, so do the changes that come from having a smile you love again.
Looking Older Than You Are Hurts More Than Most People Admit
When I asked whether they felt their smile made them look older, their comments highlighted just how strongly missing teeth can affect self-image.
Michelle shared:
“For sure, yes. I definitely looked a lot older. I was only forty when I got my implants, and I felt like I looked sixty.”
Then she said something that too many patients can relate to, “when I smiled before, I never had those happy eyes… and that really aged me.”
Another patient, Rozay, simply said, “I didn't smile. I could go down the [photo] archives for you. I didn't smile… Well, [my smile] was the reason.”
Why Does Face Sagging From Missing Teeth Happen?
When your teeth fail or fall out, you can lose facial support. This could mean your cheeks sink, your lips fold inward, and you can appear years older. Face sagging from missing teeth is real, and patients feel it every single day.
Ricky summed up how this felt for him: “You feel prohibited in living. You feel prohibited in life.”
So, how did dental implants and new, zirconia teeth actually change things for these patients?
Dental Implants Didn’t Just Fix Their Smile… They Reversed the Clock
When we shifted to talking about life after dental implants, there was a big change in the feeling of the conversation. Each patient lit up. Their voices and their energy seemed to change.
I asked how their new smile affects how old they look now.
Ricky started, “I feel like I look younger. I feel like I look a lot happier, friendlier, approachable.”
Michelle recalled a recent experience: “They asked if we're sisters… No. I'm her mom… It's such a night and day difference.”
One of my favorite lines of the whole interview was when she continued and said: “It's been five years… and I feel like I've aged backwards.”
During my conversation with Rozay, he joked about how different he looks now, “They call me Benjamin Button.”
That’s what can happen when your face finally has the support and structure from new teeth. It's also the result of going from hiding your smile to confidently sharing it without a second thought.
The Change Is Real
Every person I interviewed described the shift in identity that happened after getting their dental implants.
Alvin described it as, “After I got the surgery… it is almost like it's rock star status. And so I've embraced it.”
Michelle shared, “When I got my dental implants and saw how beautiful I looked on the outside, it really started changing me on the inside.”
And as Rozay put it, “I got my swagger back, like Jay Z said.”
New teeth aren't just a cosmetic change. They’re a life change.
A Younger Face Isn’t the Only Transformation
I asked if their energy changed also. The answer? Overwhelmingly—yes.
Ricky explained, “[My teeth don’t] prohibit me from doing anything in life that I wanna do… it just changed everything else because I wanted the rest of myself to match my teeth. It's worth it.”
Alvin also shared, “Since now having the surgery, I'm able to now bite and chew my food. I can now bite into an apple and eat the whole apple. Until you can't do that, you have no idea how much you will value having this work done and being able to add it back to your lifestyle.”
This is the part people underestimate. When your teeth function again, your body can function again. Your digestion can improve and when you can chew your few, you actually absorb nutrition. Again and again, patients share that they were constantly getting sick before their permanent teeth—and how that all changed once their smile was fixed.
When missing teeth are no longer dragging down a patient’s energy or their facial structure, it shows—and many say they suddenly feel years younger..
So… Do Dental Implants Make You Look Younger?
After interviewing this group, here’s the clearest answer I can give:
A full set of new, healthy teeth don’t just have the potential to make you look younger, they can help you live younger.
They restore the structure that holds your face up. They help prevent face sagging from missing teeth that ages you before your time. They have the potential to give you back your expression, your confidence, your identity—sometimes even your “swagger,” as one patient put it.
Michelle shared something I’ll never forget:
“This is the best gift I have ever given myself… even five years out, I am still seeing the benefits.”
If you’re ready for a change, see if you may be a candidate for permanent teeth in 24 hours with the 60-second quiz.
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