The health of your mouth may have a significant impact on your overall health. When your teeth are in excellent shape, you tend to be healthier. Missing teeth can affect your bite, speech, and food choices. This problem might lead to social, psychological, and nutritional issues.
Losing teeth necessitates the continued use of remaining teeth, increasing the chance of premature wear and tear. Lost teeth can also lead to adjustments in your bite, which may cause headaches and jaw discomfort.
Who would want their looks and health to suffer? The jaw shrinks naturally as a consequence of missing teeth. People can lose up to 25% of their supporting jaw bone structure after tooth loss in the first year. The good news is that dental implants replicate natural teeth by protecting and preserving your bone structure, health, and appearance. Dental implant dentistry is an area of practice for your periodontist, who will assess if you are a candidate for dental implants.
What Happens If I Do Not Replace a Missing Tooth?
If you have lost one or more teeth, your day-to-day life and oral health could be affected. If you do not replace a tooth, you may experience various consequences right now and throughout your life.
You May Have Difficulty Chewing and Speaking
Missing teeth prevent normal chewing techniques and cause speech difficulties. Your teeth are essential for eating and breaking down food for nutrition while also aiding in speaking. It takes only one missing tooth to harm your ability to pronounce words correctly or clearly.
Your Teeth Become Misaligned
When a tooth is lost, it leaves a hole in its place, and the adjacent teeth naturally move toward each other to close it. Unfortunately, this movement can cause jawbone strain and chewing difficulties.
Your Jawbone Starts to Deteriorate
Your jawbone is kept strong and stable by a tooth’s continual contact. When you lose a tooth, the portion of the formerly stimulated bone begins to shrink. Furthermore, your gums will start to recede into the space left by the lost tooth. This procedure generates early-onset aging because your facial skin will droop due to lack of stimulation, and adjacent teeth may weaken.
How Can I Replace Missing Teeth?
Fortunately, tooth replacement surgery is one of the most popular ways to recover damaged teeth. The options for treating tooth replacement include:
- Dental implants
- Dentures
- Dental bridges
If you’re searching for a long-term solution for a missing tooth, now is the time to visit your dentist. To find out whether dental implants and other tooth replacement choices are available in Bothell, Washington, contact Dr. Crisafulli.