Is it necessary to replace a lost tooth?
Modern dentistry is focused on prevention of tooth loss. Unfortunately, there are times when an extraction is inevitable. This may be due to a cracked tooth, an infected root, or extensive decay. While the loss of a tooth can be very upsetting, many people quickly adapt to eating and chewing in such a way as to utilise their remaining teeth. However, there are modern, relatively pain free ways to replace your lost teeth, and many good reasons to do so!
#1. Other teeth can loosen and shift/tilt into the empty space.
When all your teeth are in place, they help keep each other in order. If you’re missing a tooth, however, your teeth may shift into the gap, leading to changes in your bite, potential gum disease, possible tooth decay, and difficulty in replacing the missing tooth later.
#2. Your face could change.
Your jawbones need stimulation to avoid atrophy. Teeth are essential to this as the force of biting and chewing travels down the root of your teeth into the bone, helping to keep the bone dense. When you lose teeth, bone begins to weaken, and its density begins to decrease. If you are missing multiple teeth in the same area, or all the teeth on your upper or lower jaw, this degradation becomes more pronounced and can lead to the face having a hollowed-out and shortened appearance that makes you look much older.
#3. It may affect your mental health.
If you’ve ever lost a tooth, you may remember how strange it feels. While this discomfort may be temporarily endurable, it can grow irritating in a very short time and missing teeth definitely affect how others judge you. Finally, a missing tooth may affect your speech patterns, which can lead to a loss in self-confidence.
#4. TMJ disorder.
The muscles that help you rotate your jaw and chew attach at the temporomandibular joints or TMJ. Alterations to these muscles and interrelated systems can result in physical pain. One change that can lead to TMJ disorder is tooth loss and its lack of replacement. TMJ disorder can be diagnosed and treated by Dentalcare Carnegie, but the best treatment is always prevention!
#5. Nutrition.
Missing teeth can make it difficult to eat foods that might be difficult to chew, such as nuts, vegetables, and thick meats. Consequently, many patients with missing teeth suffer nutritional deficits.
#6. Communication.
Missing teeth can also lead to alterations in speech patterns like lisps or whistles, making speech more difficult to understand.
SO if you lost a tooth or many teeth, do not despair! Come see us at DentalCare Carnegie to discuss your options!
