Prosthodontics

Replacing Missing Teeth

The Importance of Replacing Missing Teeth

Although a missing tooth is not generally considered a dental emergency, there are many reasons to replace a missing tooth as soon as possible. Whether you have lost teeth as a result of gum disease or extraction, it is important to consult with a certified prosthodontist right away to evaluate your options for tooth replacement.

A Loss Felt in the Bone

As soon as a tooth is lost, resorption, the dissolution of the supporting jaw bone begins. Jawbone loss is progressive, so the longer your tooth is missing, the more your jawbone decays. This not only increases the likelihood of serious jaw fractures, but also reduces the chances that you can have a dental implant placed later.

Gum Effects

Teeth and gums are a mutual support system. Just as gum disease can lead to tooth loss, tooth loss can cause the gums to recede. With thinner gums, the distance bacteria must penetrate to reach the jawbone is reduced. Missing teeth can make dental hygiene more difficult as food and debris can become trapped in the gap, where you may have difficulty reaching with your brush. This can contribute to periodontal disease, which can lead to bacteriological attacks on the jawbone, worsening the effects of resorption on the jawbone. Periodontal disease can also lead to many serious health consequences including blood-borne infections that attack the heart, liver, and kidneys.

A Bad Fit

Once a tooth is lost, the other teeth begin to drift into the space left by the missing tooth. This can increase the level of malocclusion, or bad bite, in your mouth. The increasingly bad bite can create or contribute to neuromuscular problems such as TMJ/TMD. You may begin to notice pain in your jaw, headaches, sleeping problems, or other TMJ/TMD symptoms. Treatment of TMD in this case will almost certainly include replacing any missing teeth and realigning the other teeth.

Biting Off More than You Can Chew

Once you have one or more missing teeth, you will probably find that your ability to chew foods will become increasingly limited. Foods you used to enjoy eating may taste the same, but the experience of eating them will become far less pleasant. You may even find that the process of eating makes you more self-conscious than it used to, and you will avoid eating in public or around friends and family.

Put a Good Face On

Finally, missing teeth can have a major impact on your self-esteem. Missing teeth are associated with old age, poverty, bad health, even low intelligence, and you will likely start to look at yourself in this way, either directly or in response to others' changed treatment of you as a result of your lost tooth or teeth. Missing teeth can also have a dramatic effect on the shape of your face, eventually leading to a sunken face, or what is called "witch's chin."

Low self-esteem can lead to depression, and depression leads to a decline in all personal grooming habits, including dental hygiene. This increases the likelihood that you will suffer from periodontal problems, further tooth decay, and even more lost teeth.

If you have one or more missing teeth, it is important that you replace it or them as soon as feasible. There are many options are available for tooth replacement, including dentures or removable partial dentures, dental bridges, and dental implants.

To find out which tooth replacement treatment options are best for you, please contact Dr. Green today to arrange a consultation. Dr. Green serves cosmetic dentistry patients in Caldwell, West Essex, Essex County, Morris County, and Passaic County, New Jersey.