Losing a tooth can be embarrassing, but there’s more at stake than the cosmetic issues. Ignoring a missing tooth can lead to serious medical and dental complications.
At the Center for Implant & Esthetic Dentistry, we help our patients restore their smiles every day. Ramin Mahallati, DDS, and his team take pride in their work, so you don’t have to worry about complications. Here are some reasons why you shouldn’t ignore a missing tooth.
When there’s a gap in your teeth because of a missing tooth, there’s space for bacteria, tartar, and plaque to get into your gum line. This puts you at greater risk of gum disease.
Once gum disease sets in, you’re at greater risk for some serious medical conditions such as heart disease and stroke.
One missing tooth may not seem like a big deal right now, but how will you feel when you are missing two, three, or even four teeth? That’s what can happen if you don’t deal with the first missing tooth properly.
Your teeth support each other to stay in the correct position. If you lose a tooth, the teeth on either side of that space no longer have the support they need. They tend to shift into the gap. Under the gum line, the roots of these teeth also gradually move into the free space.
When this happens, the structure and integrity of these moving teeth become compromised, leaving you at risk of losing these compromised teeth. If you do lose them, the next teeth in line become at risk of the same thing happening.
As we mentioned above, your teeth keep each other in place, but when one goes missing, the remaining teeth struggle to stay in place. As your teeth shift, your straight teeth can turn into a crooked smile.
Your bones need stimulation to stay healthy. Your jawbone gets this stimulation from the pressure of your teeth biting and chewing. Without this stimulation, your jawbone stops regenerating and growing.
Your jawbone begins to lose mass where there’s a tooth missing and eventually becomes weaker. You may even notice the shape of your face changing.
When you’re missing a tooth, you may also have difficulty chewing. You need to take more time chewing to ensure your food is ready for swallowing, and you may experience pain as your teeth shift out of place.
Because of this misalignment, you may unknowingly adjust your jaw movement to deal with the imbalance of pressure. This can lead to a sore jaw, headaches, and even TMJ disorder.
For all of these reasons, a dental implant is the ideal solution for a missing tooth. It takes the place of your absent tooth, helps to hold the rest of your teeth in their proper positions, and strengthens your jawbone.
If you are missing a tooth, visit us at the Center for Implant & Esthetic Dentistry so Dr. Mahallati can assess the current condition of your mouth and teeth. He can let you know whether an implant or other solution is right for your situation.
Request an implant consultation today by calling or using our online appointment scheduler. We’ll have you chewing with ease and flashing those pearly whites again in no time.
