If you are looking in your mirror and notice a few gaps in your mouth here and there, you are not alone. Unfortunately, the oral surgeon in Mission Viejo CA has seen many cases in which patients have complaints about their semi toothless grins.
Research has shown that about 178 million Americans are missing one or more teeth. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) claim that by the age of 50, the average American will have succumbed to twelve lost teeth. That is practically half a person’s smile gone!
If you feel you make up part of this statistic, you should keep reading on about options from Dr. Maryam Horiyat, who is an oral surgeon in Mission Viejo CA, and her team of Board-Certified Periodontists.
How To Replace Missing Teeth
Missing a tooth is a big deal since you know that there is no way that it is going to magically regenerate like a lizard with a missing tail. Also, you may feel you are slowly morphing into one of those comical characters in popular culture which you see an elderly person stumbling around looking for their dentures, only to find the dog wearing them.
You can stay rest assured that modern dental implants in Orange County works a lot differently and more efficiently. Obviously, this old-school teeth replacement option is still around, but the dentist in Laguna Niguel can provide you with other various options.
Here are different ways to replace missing teeth, but these are the most popular options:
Dentures: These old fashioned “falsies” rest on a person’s gums and usually come flying out of a person’s mouth at the worst possible moment. The oral surgeon in Mission Viejo CA uses prosthetic devices that are customized to resemble real teeth.
Traditional dentures are removable, which may be the root cause of their notorious reputation for escaping from a person’s mouth. However, there are other dentures such as Implant-Supported Dentures or All-on-4® that can be clasped or bonded onto teeth and implants.
Dental Bridge: This consists of an artificial tooth that stays in place by the remaining teeth on either side of the missing tooth. It is usually made from porcelain, and dental bridges are designed to mix in with your natural smile, although, the surrounding teeth have to be prepared to act as anchor teeth. Nevertheless, this irreversible procedure can be disposed of with a single tooth implant.
Dental Implants: This is thought to be one of the best solutions for missing teeth. Your dentist will fuse your jawbone to create a new root for the replacement denture, crown or bridge. Patients and dentists love dental implants since they look, feel, and work similarly to real teeth, and they exhibit more than a 95% success rate. Our dental surgeons at Aria Dental can offer Titanium implants and Zirconium (Metal-free implants). All of the implants Aria Dental provides are placed with American-Board Certified Periodontist, not just a general dentist.
What Happens When You Do Nothing About Missing Teeth?
In some cases, people who have missing teeth choose not to do anything about them especially when the gap is at the back of the mouth, or you can’t notice the gap when they smile. Still, when you don’t replace a missing tooth, you leave yourself exposed to many issues:
Mouth And Teeth Become More Difficult To Clean
When a tooth leaves your mouth, the leftover bone melts away. The surrounding teeth then move to fill the space. Because of this awkward spacing, it becomes harder to clean the area thoroughly. Sooner or later, it can result in tooth decay, gingivitis, bone loss, and other dental problems.
You’ll Look Older Than You Actually Are
Apart from having an unattractive smile, the skin around your mouth can begin to sag if you are missing too many teeth. This usually makes you look a lot older and more exhausted than you actually are.
You Might Find It Challenging To Enjoy Your Food
A good majority of people who have lost teeth find chewing their food very difficult, especially crunchy, sticky, and fibrous foods. Speech is usually affected too.
You May Encounter Emotional And Psychological Issues
Various studies have associated a wonderful smile to personal and professional success. On the contrary, missing teeth can have negative effects on a person’s self-esteem and quality of life.
Shifting Of Neighboring And Opposing Teeth
Once you have missing teeth, the changes to your smile are very hard to miss. The issue can become embarrassing, but missing teeth cause more issues than just the dwindled appearance of the smile area.
When you lose teeth, the jawbone will begin to recede as well. This jawbone bankruptcy causes the other remaining teeth in the moth to shift around. Additionally, when the jawbone recedes, the face alters its shape.
Normally, people who don’t have teeth usually start to wrinkle around the mouth and their cheeks begin to cave in. Dental implants can maintain your jawbone and help you preserve a more youthful appearance.
If you do not replace your missing teeth, you run the risk of the neighboring and opposing teeth to shift around. As a result, you can have a change to your bite and eventually Temporamandibular Joint (TMJ) Dysfunction that could lead to jaw pain, headaches, neck pain, and facial pain.
Without a doubt, ignoring the situation and doing nothing is the worst thing you can do when you have missing teeth. Especially when there are loads of affordable and effective options such as dentures, bridges, and dental implants. Nowadays, getting back a full, beautiful smile is easier than ever before.
What are you waiting for? Get the smile that you are dreaming of today! It understandable that losing your teeth is a devastating experience, but you don’t have to hide your smile in the dark forever.
Aria Dental provides an extensive range of exceptional dental services that are performed by a team of board-certified dentists.
To find more information about holistic dental implants, give Aria Dental a call or text today at (949) 364-9600 or send us a message on our website www.ariadentalcare.com to schedule your appointment with our dedicated and professional holistic dentist.
