If you are an adult missing a tooth or two, you are among more than 27 million adults in the UK who are missing at least one tooth. This shows that missing teeth is one of the most common dental problems adults face today. The causes are several. They can include trauma, untreated decay, old age, or congenital defects.
However, it is vital to understand that losing or missing a tooth is more than just a cosmetic issue. You may face long-term oral health problems if you don’t consider replacing your teeth.
Top Reasons for Replacing Missing Teeth
There are several compelling reasons that suggest you should replace your missing teeth. These include:
To Avoid Deterioration of the Jawbone
The jawbone secures the tooth’s root, which stimulates it to regenerate and retain its strength through chewing. So when you lose a tooth or two, the nearby bone starts to deteriorate through a process called resorption. The condition gets worse with time, and you may lose about 25% of your jawbone within a year if you don’t replace your missing tooth. So losing the structural support in the mouth is a serious issue.
Moreover, the remaining teeth can become weak and begin to move towards the missing tooth, leading to crooked teeth. This further leads to a more difficult cleaning surface, increasing the risk of dental diseases.
To Avoid Looking Prematurely Older
As your jawbone deteriorates with the loss of teeth, your cheeks begin to sink. This eventually causes the skin around the jaw and chin to sag and droop. As a result, your facial appearance becomes shrunken, making you look old by 10 years or more.
So by replacing your missing teeth, you can avoid a prematurely aged appearance.
To Avoid Shifting of Teeth
As we have already mentioned, missing one or more teeth can lead the remaining teeth to shift towards the empty spaces in a domino effect. This is because each tooth serves as a placeholder for keeping the other teeth around it in place. Missing teeth can thus cause a misaligned bite, which can also result in chronic jaw pain and headaches.
To avoid the shifting of teeth, it is important to replace the missing ones.
To Maintain a Normal Diet
Missing one or more teeth affects our ability to bite and chew. This can sometimes force us to miss out on our favourite foods. What’s more, without a complete set of teeth, it becomes difficult to eat certain nutritionally essential solid foods such as crunchy vegetables, nuts, and fruits. This unwanted change in your diet can adversely impact your overall health.
To Regain Your Self-confidence
Your smile is one of the most important aspects of your personality. It most certainly affects how confident you feel about yourself. So missing a tooth can lead to a considerable dent in your self-confidence – especially if it is one the most obvious ones when we smile. It can make you feel uncomfortable and self-conscious, whether you are at a personal or social gathering. You may eventually find yourself turning down invitations and avoiding social gatherings altogether. So it is advisable to consult your dentist for replacement options when you are missing a tooth or more.
Top Treatment Options for Replacing Missing Teeth
We have established enough reasons suggesting how crucial it is to replace missing teeth as soon as you can. So if you are contemplating replacing your missing teeth, you have several effective treatment options to choose from. You can go for any of these treatments depending on your individual needs and situations.
Some of the most common treatments for tooth replacements are:
Dental Implants
Dental implants are arguably the best treatment for missing teeth. In this treatment, a metal implant (mostly titanium) is integrated into the jawbone, and a porcelain crown is fixed over it. Dental professionals consider them the most effective treatment for tooth replacement because they usually last a lifetime and mirror the function and aesthetics of natural teeth. Being fused with your jawbone, dental implants establish the lost connection again, stimulating the bone and gum line to keep them from deteriorating.
Dental Bridges
Dental bridges comprise a row of artificial teeth, which the dentists use to replace a single or multiple missing teeth. They file down the remaining teeth on either side of the gap and cement the bridges onto them.
Dentures
Dentures can replace a single tooth or all of your teeth. Full mouth dentures consist of entire arches of artificial teeth. These arches are removable and attached to the upper and lower jaw.
Both dentures and bridges are more cost-effective options when compared to dental implants. However, they don’t last as long and cannot prevent jawbone deterioration.
You can choose any of the above treatments as per your convenience and requirements.
How We Can Help
If you are contemplating treatment options to replace your missing teeth, you need to consult a trusted dentist that can suggest you the solution that best suits your individual needs. At Perfect Smile, we can certainly help you with that. As well as numerous treatments concerning general and cosmetic dentistry, our team of expert dentists are well-equipped and qualified to handle complex treatments like dental implants and all kinds of dental emergencies. To book an appointment, get in touch with us today.