We know that losing a tooth can impact your appearance. People who experience tooth loss often feel embarrassed about their appearance. However, losing a tooth can also lead to poor oral health. Missing teeth can impact everything from alignment to facial structure.
Causes of Tooth Loss
Multiple factors can lead to patients losing one or more permanent teeth, including injury. Untreated tooth decay can also lead to an infection. Without treatment, infected teeth may become lost or require removal to prevent the spread of infection. However, the most common cause of tooth loss in adults is advanced gum disease, or periodontitis. When gum disease reaches this advanced stage, the connective tissue between the teeth and gums dissolve, causing the teeth to become loose and eventually, lost.
Misalignment, Facial Collapse, and More
When teeth are lost multiple complications can arise. First, the surrounding teeth may drift due to the gap in your smile, lea dint to misalignment. An uneven smile can place pressure on the jaw joints, leading to the onset of TMJ disorder or bruxism (teeth grinding) in some cases. In addition, thorough brushing and flossing can become impossible, increasing the risk of tooth decay and gum disease.
Once the body registers a missing tooth root, the supply of calcium an phosphorus to the jawbone ceases. Without these nutrients, the bone deteriorates, causing an older appearance due to facial collapse.
Finally, without a full set of teeth you may need to eat mainly soft foods, which can hurt your nutritional intake.
How Do You Replace Lost Teeth?
We can recommend dental bridges, which prevent misalignment and allow you to eat normally. Partial or full dentures can address partial or complete tooth loss. Finally, a dental implant can replace a lost tooth and stimulate jawbone growth, preventing the onset of facial collapse.
