Missing one or multiple teeth are more than just a cosmetic problem. This is a common problem for adults caused by several factors, such as gum disease, extreme tooth damage or decay, dental injury, genetic condition, and more.
Missing teeth are both uncomfortable and unsightly. This may often cause the person to experience extreme embarrassment that they would often find themselves smiling timidly when socializing and picture taking. Although some may think that missing a tooth is a minor problem, there are risks that people should be aware of aside from aesthetic issues.
Here are some of the following effects of not replacing the gaps left by missing teeth:
Difficulty in speaking and eating
Missing teeth do not only affect a person physically, but they may also have a massive impact on a person’s way of speaking. Gaps in the teeth make it difficult to pronounce or say certain words properly. In cases like this, people will end up becoming incredibly self-conscious of not only the gap in their smile but also in their speech impediment.
Furthermore, difficulty in eating is one of the effects of losing teeth. People often have to put more strain on the other teeth just to compensate for a lost tooth, which increases their risk of those teeth wearing out. The discomfort caused by eating with missing teeth may also limit their diet, which can impact their health.
Gum disease
Advanced gum disease, or commonly known as periodontitis is another huge problem that patients will missing teeth are not replaced for a long time. Even though gum disease didn’t contribute to tooth loss in the first place, the open socket where the tooth once rested is vulnerable to all kinds of bacteria that may penetrate the gums. Periodontitis is a very unpleasant condition that, if left untreated, it can result in more tooth loss, bone loss, and deterioration of the entire jaw.
Bone loss
One of the things that many people are not aware of is that missing teeth can actually lead to bone loss in the jaw. Since the supporting bone that anchors the tooth has no purpose and its effort to be efficient, the body quits performing any maintenance on the area, which results in the deterioration of the jawbone in the location where the tooth was once situated. When bone loss happens, there is a higher risk of losing more teeth over time. Moreover, the teeth lean on each other, and when one is missing, the others then start to shift, tilt and weaken. Lastly, the entire facial feature of a person can be affected as their cheeks lose the support of the jawbone to maintain its shape.
Fortunately, those things mentioned above can be prevented thanks to today’s innovations in dental technology, where problems with missing teeth can now be addressed with several dental treatments. Among the many treatment options for missing teeth is dentures. Dentures are undeniably the most sought-after and convenient solution to fixing problems with missing teeth. Let us at The Grove Family Dentistry help you restore your smile and oral health as well as boost your self-confidence in the process through our affordable dentures.
Let us help you restore and regain your teeth’s function. Avail of our Dentures in Clayton, CA and book an appointment with us at The Grove Family Dentistry! Our dental office is located at 6200 Center St., Suite J, Clayton, CA 94517.