Okemos, Lansing, East Lansing MI
Personal and health consequences of tooth loss
A missing tooth, or multiple missing teeth, can carry several consequences, from mere inconvenience to serious health risks. A dentist will always recommend replacing teeth that are missing. Why is this? And how can a tooth be replaced?
There are many reasons a dentist suggests replacing teeth.
These include:
Restoring a patient’s speech
The teeth – especially the front teeth, on top and bottom – play a substantial role in the way a person talks. Depending on which one it is, a missing tooth could permanently change speech patterns. Replacing the missing tooth can restore speech.
Restoring the ability to eat
A missing tooth may make it hard to eat certain kinds of foods, and some of these may have to be given up completely. Replacing the missing tooth will prevent this.
Restoring a patient’s appearance
Missing teeth – especially prominent ones, like a top front tooth – can cause an embarrassing change in appearance. But even a lost tooth that is less visible might change the way a person looks. For instance, the area with the missing tooth may take on a sunken appearance. Moreover, a lost tooth has been shown to increase wrinkles and even alter the overall shape of the face. The loss of a tooth will also often cause teeth around it to shift, further changing a person’s appearance.
Restoring alignment of the teeth
Tooth loss can have serious, painful consequences. The teeth all work together in distributing the pressure of biting. A tooth that is missing cannot perform this function, which can place stress on the jawbone where the tooth is missing and could ultimately lead to bone loss and an aching mouth. Also, a missing tooth puts strain on the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), which connects the lower jaw to the skull. This is the joint that allows the mouth to open and close, Strain on it can make chewing, drinking, swallowing, speaking, singing, or even yawning painful.
Shifting of the bite due to tooth loss can cause different kinds of wear on the teeth, possibly leading to headaches and pain from grinding teeth. Furthermore, misalignment can cause the remaining teeth to become damaged, which may even lead to further tooth loss (especially if the shift makes it more difficult to floss, as it frequently does).
Restoring oral health
Flossing and brushing help rid the mouth of bacteria that can lead to bad breath. No one wants foul-smelling breath, but this is not the only drawback of increased oral bacteria. Tooth discoloration can also occur because of increased mouth bacteria. Bacteria produce acid, which can cause tooth enamel to deteriorate. Since a tooth’s whiteness comes from enamel – the dentin in the tooth beneath it is more yellow in color – thinning enamel caused by bacteria buildup can cause tooth yellowing.
Even worse, bacteria can also lead to periodontal disease. This, in turn, can lead to pain and the loss of even more teeth.
Minimizing overall health risks
A final reason a dentist will recommend replacing missing teeth has to do with a patient’s overall health.
These include:
- In extreme cases, the inability to chew and the restrictions on diet can lead to health consequences from missing vitamins and minerals, even potentially leading to malnutrition.
- Studies show a link between missing teeth and heart disease/heart attacks.
- Other studies show a connection between missing teeth and an increased risk of stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer.
Tooth replacement
For all these reasons, dentists will almost always recommend missing teeth be replaced, and they have a variety of ways to do it. One way is with dentures; these are often recommended if a person has lost most of his or her teeth. A partial denture can be used to cover gaps if two teeth are missing but not next to one another.
If the majority of teeth are still present, a bridge is an excellent option. A bridge works by attaching replicas of missing teeth made from plastic or porcelain onto existing teeth, forming what is literally a “bridge” over the gap. A bridge is especially recommended for the loss of more than one tooth right next to each other.
Dental implants have become a very popular method for replacing missing teeth. Implants involve placing an anchor into the jaw onto which an artificial tooth is fitted. Implants work best for a single missing tooth and have the added advantage of minimizing the possibility of the jawbone weakening.
Missing teeth can be dismaying, but treatments are available that can get a person smiling again. A dentist will provide the best possible advice as to which of these restorations will be most advantageous to a patient.
Cosmetic Dentist in Okemos, Lansing, and East Lansing, MI
To find out which cosmetic dental procedure is best for you, we encourage you to contact our Okemos cosmetic dental office, Tenaglia Smiles, to schedule a consultation. Please call (517) 940-8684 or contact us online today.