Would you be able to drive a car with one tire missing? Certainly not! Similarly, it is also essential to replace your missing teeth.
Losing even a single tooth can have significant effects on your oral health, smile, and self-confidence, especially if they are the front teeth.
Even if a missing tooth does not affect your smile, it will undoubtedly harm your oral and physical health.
Let’s look at the reasons why you should get your missing teeth replaced without delay.
The Smile, Of Course!
No one wants to show a missing tooth when they speak or smile. You can only enjoy a perfect smile when you have no tooth missing, and all the teeth are in perfect alignment and occlusion.
So, if you want to avoid the embarrassment of showing your missing teeth during an important meeting, a date, or a job interview, you must get your missing teeth replaced as soon as possible.
Your Physical Health and Wellbeing!
Did you know that each tooth in our oral cavity has a specific function to perform while we eat or speak? So, if you lose a tooth, your ability to chew or speak will be compromised.
That is why we see people who are without their teeth often find it difficult to speak clearly and to eat without difficulty.
Now imagine, what would happen if you could not chew your food properly? Naturally, the food won’t be digested, and your body will receive lesser energy to perform routine functions. Therefore, losing a tooth and not replacing it timely can directly affect your health and wellbeing.
Dr Shrik Kotecha, a dentist in Leicester says:
“Dental implants remain the longest-lasting solution to missing teeth. As close to real teeth as modern dentistry can currently get, they look, feel and work just like your own teeth”
Your Oral Health
Now, let’s see how missing teeth affect your oral health.
- Spacing Between Teeth – when a tooth is lost and is not replaced in time, the neighboring teeth start to creep inside the gap. As a result, spaces begin to appear between the teeth, which can create problems when you eat anything or speak.
- Over-eruption of Opposing teeth – our opposing teeth prevent each other from eruption beyond a certain height. However, after the loss of a tooth, there is a tendency for the opposing tooth to grow into space. As a result, the tooth continues to erupt and gradually starts to become loose in its socket. Ultimately, the tooth becomes so mobile that it falls off.
- Bone Loss – When you lose a tooth, the bone surrounding it starts to undergo resorption at an increased rate. As a result, the jaw bones begin to become weaker. The more teeth you lose, the higher will be the bone loss and the higher the chances of jaw bone fracture. Not only this, but increased resorption of jawbones due to tooth loss also results in a significant effect on your facial profile and overall aesthetics. As a result, the face starts to appear thinner and shrunken.
The Cost!
When you lose a tooth, and you fail to get them replaced in time, the resultant changes in your jaw bone density and facial appearance make it harder for your dentist to find a suitable replacement option.
For example, removable dentures are only effective if you have enough jaw bone density to support the prosthesis.
Similarly, you can only get your teeth replaced with bridges only if you have healthy teeth on either side of the gap to support it.
Therefore, the longer you wait, the higher will be the cost of replacing your missing teeth.
Nature has bestowed us with two sets of natural teeth. So take care of your teeth from your childhood, clean your teeth twice a day, rinse after eating any food, do salt water rinsing every day, visit a pediatric dentist in Woodbridge, VA, or any nearby dentist, and don’t neglect if you feel any pain or sensitivity in teeth.
While the milk teeth ultimately fall off, our permanent teeth are supposed to last for a lifetime. Therefore, you should make sure that you take good care of your teeth through brushing, flossing, and regular dental check-up visits, as these habits will help you in retaining your teeth for a long time. In the case you lose a tooth due to an accident or infection, make sure that you get it replaced as soon as possible; your oral health and physical wellbeing depend on it!
Read Also – Health Related Articles
1 thought on “Why Should you Replace Missing Teeth?”