Some of the biggest problems that result from tooth loss aren’t things that you notice right away. For example, depending on how many teeth you’ve lost and how visible they were on your dental ridge, the most obvious problem may be your smile’s appearance. However, over time, the loss of your natural tooth structure, including the crowns and the roots of your teeth, can lead to several more complicated impacts to the rest of your oral health.
Your bite’s function when you’re missing teeth
Filling out your smile’s appearance is an important role of your healthy, natural teeth, but so is promoting the healthy, balanced, and proper function of your bite. When you bite down, all of your teeth should meet evenly in order to properly distribute the pressure from your bite. When one or more teeth are missing from your upper or lower dental ridge, the remaining teeth on the ridge have to take up the slack. This can lead to diminished bite function overall, and the imbalance can place more of your healthy, natural teeth at risk.
Your jawbone’s integrity when it loses teeth roots
Your healthy, natural teeth are comprised of two main sections – the crown, which you see when you show off your smile, and the root, which rests within your jawbone structure and isn’t visible. When you lose teeth roots, it impacts more than the immediate function of your bite, but also the integrity of the bone structure that supports the rest of your teeth roots. Without all of the roots, your jawbone won’t be stimulated as much and will receive fewer minerals and nutrients as a result of it. This can cause you to lose bone mass and density in your dental ridge, increasing your risks of further tooth loss, and more.
Your long-term risks of losing more teeth
There are several different potential factors that can contribute to tooth loss, but the multiple impacts of losing one or more teeth can become the greatest risks in losing more of them in the future. For example, in addition to the reduced mass and density in your jawbone structure, your remaining teeth can also shift out of place, become damaged under uneven bite pressure, have a higher risk of developing severe decay, and more. These consequences can ultimately raise your risks of losing more teeth in the future, and the most effective way to prevent them may be to replace your lost teeth with one or more dental implants.
Learn how to mitigate the impacts of tooth loss
Losing one or more of your natural teeth can lead to several complicated consequences, which is why you should replace 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.
