Having missing teeth is a very common issue. According to studies, only 48% of American adults have a full permanent set of teeth. Different reasons can cause tooth loss. When left untreated, missing teeth can affect your self-esteem and cause various health conditions.
What Are the Causes of Missing Teeth?
As you age, you may lose your initial set of teeth and the adult teeth will replace them. A wide range of conditions can cause tooth loss or raise the risk of it.
Genetics
Inherited malformation of your jawbone may prevent the appearance of your secondary teeth. This type of congenital tooth loss can occur in three kinds of Hypodontia, Oligodontia, and Anodontia.
The most common form of agenesis is hypodontia, in which one to five adult teeth never form.
Oligodontia develops when six or more teeth are absent. In anodontia, there is a complete absence of a set of teeth.
Injury
Injuries and other kinds of trauma can lead to tooth loss. If you lose an entire tooth in this manner, immediate medical attention is required.
Gum Disease
Another reason for missing teeth is gum disease, which leads to pockets between gums and teeth. Your teeth and bones will decay as a result of this condition, leading to tooth loss.
What Are the Dangers Of Missing Teeth?
You may have never thought that something as simple as your missing tooth can drive serious health issues, but it can, by giving bacteria the chance to build up on your gums and travel to other parts of your body. You may experience diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, or heart disease.
1- Misaligned teeth
When you lose a tooth, the neighboring teeth may start to drift, making it difficult to bite and chew. This condition can lead to unstable teeth and more loss.
2- Jaw bone loss
Jaw bone loss is one of the most important consequences of tooth loss. The stimulation of chewing and biting helps with your jaw bone mass. When you have a missing tooth, the free space can no longer receive such stimulation and the jaw bone begins to fade.
3- Chronic headaches
Your discomfort is not over after removing your affected tooth. When you have tooth loss, the remaining teeth lose their opposite neighbor to rest against and may start to cause damage to the gum. Except for gum and facial pain, this condition causes stress at the jaw joint and leads to chronic headaches.
4- Altered facial features
When you have missing teeth, your face does not benefit from their support so your facial features may change and get deformed. You may suffer from sunken cheeks and wrinkling skin around the mouth.
5- Inability to talk properly
A lack of teeth can make it difficult for people to pronounce specific words properly. You may also sound weird while speaking.
6- Inadequate nutrition
When you lose your teeth, you cannot bite and chew properly without pain. You will have to eat less or consume only soft food. This prevents you from receiving the required nutrients and affects your overall health.
7- Sinus expansion
If you lose one of your teeth from your back upper jaw, the sinus cavity that lies above will expand and make the jaw bone deteriorate. You should not underestimate the consequences of ignoring your missing teeth which can affect your appearance and threaten your health.
What Are the Remedies for Missing Teeth?
Regardless of the underlying reason for your tooth loss, you can make adjustments to your smile with specific options for missing teeth. These treatments are performed to replace missing teeth with the help of dental bridges, implants, and dentures.
- Dental bridges are one of the most common dental restorations for replacing missing teeth. Fixed bridges fill the gap between one or more missing teeth. You will need multiple visits to the dentist to undergo this procedure. This type of bridge looks, feels, and functions like your natural teeth. Resin-retained bridges, however, are much less invasive and can be a good alternative for your missing front teeth, attaching to the neighboring teeth on each side.
- Dental implants are surgical systems to replace your missing teeth by connecting the tooth root to the jawbone. This method is a helpful option for replacing a single tooth, providing the look and feel of the natural one.
- Dental dentures can be partial or complete. A removable partial denture can act as a replacement for a small section of missing teeth. This option is less stable than a tooth implant or a bridge, but can be very useful for aesthetic appeal. Removable complete dentures are rather invasive and are used to replace most, if not all of, your teeth.
If you have missing teeth, or are going to remove your teeth for any reason, it is best to beat the condition with the support of qualified specialists.
Backed by decades of experience, our professional staff at Aria Dental offers personalized solutions for your oral problems. Here, we are committed to providing the highest standards of dentistry for all oral issues from routine checkups to complex therapies in a convenient environment. You can find responses to all your dental queries with various services at Aria center.
Our dentists tend to save every tooth with same-day emergency care even on Saturdays. If you’re in California, you can easily find us in Orange County, if not, look no further. We are with you on phone for a free consultation.
