When many people think about tooth loss, the condition seems devastating for numerous different reasons. To some, it’s because of the impact that tooth loss does or can have on their smiles’ appearance, which can be more significant the more teeth are lost. There are also consequences for your bite’s function, which can suffer when you have fewer teeth to absorb your bite pressure, and several other aspects of your long-term oral health. Fortunately, tooth loss can be much less of a hindrance to your oral health if you address it as soon as possible, such as by replacing your lost teeth with a custom, implant-supported restoration.
It impacts your bite’s function
The fact that your smile looks different is an obvious impact of tooth loss, but that empty space in your smile has more implications than you might realize. For instance, every time you bite and chew, your teeth have to absorb the pressure and friction of your bite. When you have a full row of teeth on your upper and lower dental ridge, no tooth should be exposed to more pressure than it can handle (as long as your teeth and bite are properly aligned). However, one or more empty spaces in these rows can mean your remaining teeth will have to take on more pressure than they were meant to.
It makes caring for your smile harder
The point of caring for your smile on a consistent basis is to help you avoid serious oral health concerns, and that doesn’t change even if you’ve experienced tooth loss. However, it can be more challenging due to the loss. Even with daily brushing and flossing, you may not be able to prevent plaque from developing in hard-to-reach places created by the empty space. Also, your remaining teeth can begin to shift out of alignment toward the empty space or spaces, throwing your bite further off balance and making it more difficult to properly clean them every day. On top of these daily impacts, the loss of one or more teeth can increase your risks of multiple complications with the health and integrity of the surrounding oral structures, including your jawbone.
It gets worse until you address it
The biggest problem with tooth loss is that all other consequences will only grow worse the longer you wait to replace your lost teeth. For many patients, rebuilding their smiles also requires restoring the health and integrity of other oral structures and tissues before a custom tooth replacement can be recommended. To help prevent them from getting worse, we may suggest replacing lost teeth with one or more dental implants, which reestablish the lost root structure of your teeth within your jawbone.
Learn how to save your smile from tooth loss
Tooth loss can have a lot of negative impacts on your oral health, but they’re much less of a concern if you address the condition by replacing your lost teeth as soon as possible. To learn more, or to schedule a consultation, call Santa Rosa Oral Surgery in Santa Rosa, CA, today at 707-545-4625.
