The effects that tooth loss has on your smile’s appearance can be significant, but they’re only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how your smile actually responds to the loss. For many people, the appearance of their smiles is enough to make them want to replace their lost teeth. However, at our Santa Rosa, CA, oral surgery office, we help patients understand that replacing lost teeth and rebuilding their smiles is about much more than just esthetics.
The rest of your teeth lose support
Your teeth do a lot, and to keep themselves healthy and strong, they support each other in several important ways. For example, if you lose a tooth, then the ones closest to it will begin to shift toward the empty space in your smile. This is due to the uneven and imbalanced pressure of your bite, which can force your teeth to move and try to take up the slack. Unfortunately, the migration of your teeth will only lead to increasingly more problems, including a heightened risk of losing more teeth in the future.
The foundation of your smile grows weaker
Your teeth don’t just support each other – they also help sustain the jawbone structure that supports their roots. When you bite and chew, your healthy, natural teeth roots stimulate your jawbone, which prompts your body to send it an adequate amount of minerals and nutrients. With every tooth root you lose, this stimulation grows weaker, and as a result, your jawbone receives fewer nutrients. This can cause it to lose mass and density, grow weaker, and lose its ability to support all of your remaining teeth.
The health of your smile grows move vulnerable
As your jawbone grows weaker and your remaining teeth shift out of their original places, the risks to your overall oral health become much more significant. Teeth that are no longer straight and properly positioned can become more susceptible to damage and/or decay (tooth infection). A weak jawbone means a much higher risk of losing more teeth in the near future, as well as increased risks of developing gum disease.
Learn more about saving your smile from tooth loss
Your smile can be affected by tooth loss in many different ways, but with a custom, lifelike prosthesis, we can help save your smile from those impacts. For more information, schedule a consultation by calling Santa Rosa Oral Surgery in Santa Rosa, CA, today at 707-545-4625.
