The main reasons people want to replace missing teeth are for cosmetic purposes and to enable them to chew their food easily. However, there are far more nasty consequences that can arise from not replacing missing teeth.
Here are 7 reasons to make you seriously consider getting teeth replacements:
1. When teeth are missing it can lead to jaw bone loss at the site of the gap
In the same way that exercising your body helps keep muscle tone, jaw bone mass is maintained through the stimulation of chewing and biting. When a tooth is missing, the area of bone where the tooth was originally located no longer receives such stimulation and it starts to disappear – a process called resorption.
2. The remaining teeth can become misaligned, drift into the gap or loosen
Without a neighbouring tooth to keep them in check, the remaining teeth may start to drift. This could make it difficult to bite and chew if the teeth are no longer aligned properly. Furthermore, the drifting of a tooth can destabilise its roots, leading to a wobbly tooth or outright loss.
3. Missing teeth may alter facial features
Without teeth being in place to ‘support’ the face, a person’s facial features may start to look distorted, with sunken cheeks and skin wrinkling around the mouth.
4. Missing teeth can cause chronic headaches
If you had a diseased tooth which caused you pain and had to be removed, you may believe that your problems are over. However, this is not the case. When teeth are missing the remaining teeth have no opposite number to rest on or bite against. The remaining teeth may start to over-erupt and cause damage to the opposing gum. Not only does this cause gum and facial pain, but with time the situation causes stress at the jaw joint (Temporo Mandibular Joint) leading to chronic headaches.
5. Inability to talk properly
A lack of teeth can make it difficult for people to pronounce certain words properly and they may have a whistling sound each time they speak.
6. Inadequate nutrition
When people can’t bite and chew their food properly without pain, many simply eat less or choose to eat only soft food which doesn’t provide them with all the nutrients they require. Consequently, this takes a toll on the health of their whole body.
7. Sinus expansion
If teeth are lost from the back upper jaw, the sinus cavity which lies above will start to expand and erode the jaw bone.
For all of these reasons, it is best to replace missing teeth as soon as you can. People often underestimate the impact that missing teeth will have on their looks and their health but the changes above are likely to occur, to some extent, in the majority of people who have lost multiple teeth.
Also bear in mind that if you are considering same-day dental implants, good quality jaw bone is necessary for successful oral surgery – the longer you let the jaw bone waste away, the more complicated the dental implant surgery will be as bone augmentation will also be a requirement.
Find out more about our dental implant services
If you would like to discuss dental implants with The Implant Experts, call to arrange your free initial chat with our dental implant co-ordinator where you can discuss your situation, find out what the various treatment options entail and their prices.
