If you are missing a tooth, you know what a difference it can make to your eating habits, but it can also affect your speech and facial appearance. Losing a tooth can promote a lack of confidence and not doing something about it can lead to trouble in keeping your remaining teeth in a healthy condition.
You can lose teeth for a variety of reasons: untreated cavities, gum disease, cracked teeth and damaged roots, as well as everyday accidents, can all be causes. A number of people lose a tooth but fail to visit their dentist for advice, preferring to soldier on. For many this could be a big mistake in the long term.
Not replacing missing teeth can make you prone to other, more serious, oral health conditions that can have wide ranging and destructive effects.
Tooth shifting:
If you lose a tooth it creates a space and quite often your surrounding dentures will move. Over time this can cause crooked teeth as well as bite alignment issues that may need more detailed dental work that just replacing a missing tooth.
Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ):
Losing one or more teeth can impact on your bite alignment and stop your upper and lower jaw from meeting properly. In certain circumstances, this can cause TMJ, a painful and often debilitating condition that arises from damage to your jaw joint.
Increased risk of gum disease:
Having a gap in your teeth means that more food can get stuck there and it is often difficult to clean properly. This means you will have a greater probability of getting a periodontal disease, which, apart from being quite painful, can also cause further tooth loss if not treated.
Bone deterioration:
The root of your tooth is very important and can help stimulate the jawbone below. When this root is removed it can lead to a deterioration of the jaw bone area which, again, can also lead to additional loss of teeth.
Sunken facial appearance:
If your jaw deteriorates and there is bone loss it will have an impact on your facial appearance and can make you appear older.
If you have a missing tooth it is essential that you go to see a dentist, like the Sameday Teeth Suite in the East Midlands, who will be able to advise you on the best course of action. The single loss of a tooth can create a domino effect that, over time, can cause many problems. Your dentist might suggest:
- Dentures for more severe tooth loss.
- Bridges which are crowns that can be affixed to nearby natural teeth.
- Implants which can be attached to the jawbone to provide a permanent fixture.
Your dentist will take a look at how many teeth you have missing as well as the condition of those remaining and then decide which solution is the best for you. There’s no doubt that replacing a tooth today will help you avoid even greater problems later, including a greater risk of periodontal disease, as well as the extra expense involved.
Book your FREE Consultation to missing teeth at one of our dental clinic in Nottingham, Leicester and Loughborough to take action today.