What is the Problem with Missing Teeth?

What is the Problem with Missing Teeth?

Losing teeth can be an unfortunate occurrence in the aging process for some patients. The most common cause of tooth loss is severe decay that is left untreated but other dental issues such as periodontal disease can also lead to tooth loss. Whenever a tooth is lost, it can negatively affect not only your oral health but your overall health. Waiting to replace a lost tooth can increase your chances of losing more teeth.

Aside from cosmetic concerns, there are more severe problems that can arise from untreated missing teeth.

Bone Loss
The roots of our teeth help support bone health by stimulating bone regeneration. When you exercise, you help your body produce and maintain muscle mass and when you chew, you help stimulate bone support. A missing tooth can contribute to bone loss in the jar because that area no longer has a tooth with which to make contact to stimulate bone growth. Bone loss quickly leads to further tooth loss.

Further Tooth Loss
Losing one tooth can create a domino effect on surrounding teeth! Since the jawbone relies so heavily on healthy teeth to stay dense and strong, as it weakens from tooth loss, other teeth are more likely to fall out. Leaving a missing tooth untreated increases your chance of losing more teeth by 30%.

Crooked Teeth
When a tooth is lost and left untreated, surrounding healthy teeth begin to shift in an effort to close the space. This is a problem for a few reasons: those healthy teeth can become loose as they shift and cause a breakdown in bone mass; gaps in other areas of your mouth can form; the teeth can become crowded and difficult to clean.

Orthodontia is not only an aesthetic treatment, it has great benefits to oral health as well. Crooked teeth are much harder to clean properly than straight teeth so when the teeth become crowded, the patient is at a higher risk of gum disease.

Malocclusion
Having a bad bite is yet another reason that replacing a missing tooth is so important. If your teeth shift, it can change the way they come together when you bite. This can lead to draw disorders such as TMJ, damage to tooth enamel, tension headaches, tooth sensitivity, and even fractured teeth. Bruxism is the unconscious clenching and/or grinding of the teeth which a lot of us already do in our sleep but having a bad bite can cause bruxism on a regular basis.

Replacing missing teeth is not only beneficial for cosmetic reasons but for the overall health of the patient. Prevention is always less costly than treatment and preventing dental issues is no different. Treating one missing tooth might be a lot more cost-effective than treating other issues that can arise from missing teeth and your overall health will be better! Gum disease can lead to other, more severe medical issues such as heart disease and diabetes. If you have a missing tooth, it is never too late to look into replacing it, no matter what treatment option you and your Dentist decide is right for you!