Tooth loss today isn’t what it used to be. More people than ever are able to prevent it, and those who experience it are able to rebuild their smiles with more lifelike results than ever before. However, the loss of a tooth is still a significant event in the course of your oral health care. Preventing it is always preferable, though it may take more care than you realize, and dealing with it (or failing to) can have farther reaching impacts than you might expect.
If you haven’t lost a tooth yet
If you haven’t lost any teeth yet, then your biggest concern is likely preventing it from ever happening. In many cases of tooth loss, the underlying cause is something that could have been prevented, such as gum disease. That prevention takes consistent care of your smile both at home and at your dental health specialist’s office, especially if you notice signs of trouble such as red and/or bleeding gums. Because the most common causes of tooth loss are chronic oral health conditions, keeping your smile consistently healthy and free of gum disease or tooth decay is the most effective way of lowering your chances of experiencing tooth loss.
If you’ve already lost one or more
If you’ve already experienced tooth loss, then you may have a few more concerns about it than you did before. On one hand, you’re worried about how to restore your smile in the most efficient manner, for both your smile’s appearance and your bite’s overall function. On the other hand, you might also wonder what the loss will do to your risks of losing more teeth in the future, and if there’s a way to prevent it. The good news, for both concerns, is that replacing your lost tooth or teeth with dental implants can rebuild your smile and address the consequences of your lost teeth roots. These consequences include the gradual erosion of your jawbone, which is one of the underlying factors in your increased risks of losing more teeth.
If you need to have a tooth extracted
If you haven’t lost a tooth yet, but need to have one extracted, your biggest concern might be, why? You’ve gone this long without losing a tooth, choosing to remove one might be a tough choice. However, if your dentist or oral health specialist recommends it, then extracting the tooth is the best way to preserve the rest of your smile. Depending on the tooth itself, you may benefit from replacing it with a dental implant as soon as possible to prevent the loss from raising your risks of losing more teeth in the future.
Learn more about tooth loss
If you’re concerned about tooth loss or tooth extraction, then we can put your mind at ease by designing a treatment plan to restore and preserve your smile. To learn more, or to schedule a consultation, call Santa Rosa Oral Surgery in Santa Rosa, CA, today at 707-545-4625.
