Terri Ramsey Beavers Losing a tooth hurts and can become a cosmetic issue, which in turn chips your self-esteem. More concerning is the implications a missing tooth can have on your health. A missing tooth can influence your diet and increase your risk of gum disease. There are several reasons not to leave a missing tooth unaddressed. Everybody knows that dental work can be expensive, but this blog will convince you that it is worth every penny.
Changes to Your Diet
When you lose a tooth, you will soon realize some foods become difficult to eat, and you start avoiding certain foods altogether to avoid food getting stuck in your remaining teeth or to avoid any pain caused by biting down on difficult-to-chew food. For example, biting down on foods like nuts, apples, or steak takes much more effort than chomping down on mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese. If you do not replace the missing tooth with either a bridge or implant, you may soon unconsciously limit your diet due to discomfort or difficulty chewing certain foods. If not treated correctly, this could result in nutritional deficiencies, weight loss, or even weight gain.
Increased Risks of Gum Disease
When you lose a tooth, the adjacent teeth may shift out of place due to the lack of support from the missing tooth root. This shifting can cause gaps between teeth that provide ideal conditions for bacteria growth – increasing your risk of gum disease. In addition, plaque accumulation around your gums causes irritation and inflammation, which in turn causes gum disease. If left unchecked, this condition can seriously harm the soft tissues in your mouth and cause bone loss. In addition, gum disease has been linked with other systemic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, due to bacterial infections entering the bloodstream through infected gums.
Changes in Facial Structure
Your facial structure can also be affected by a missing tooth. For example, without all your teeth, your jawbone might be under pressure and deteriorate. This can cause premature aging, like a sunken appearance, wrinkles, or sagging skin around the mouth and chin due to changes in muscle tone and bone loss. In addition, missing teeth can cause the remaining teeth to move toward the gap, leading to an uneven bite and further aesthetic changes.
Influence On Speech
Another potential repercussion of a missing tooth is an impact on your speech. Pronunciation is supported by the structure of your mouth and the placement of your teeth, which play a crucial role in proper speech. Sounds and pronouncing certain words might become difficult to pronounce if one tooth is missing in your mouth. The clarity of your voice and your tone might also be influenced. Schedule an appointment with your dentist right away to avoid any impact on your speech. Your dentist will be able to assess the state of your dental health and suggest the best course of action for you, whether that be a denture, bridge, or implant.
Taking care of our teeth is vital for maintaining overall good health – both physical and emotional – so it’s important that any gaps left by lost teeth be filled immediately with either bridges or implants before any further damage is done both physically and emotionally! By replacing lost teeth with bridges or implants right away, you will reduce risks associated with poor nutrition, increased chances of gum disease development, alterations in facial structures caused by lack of support from lost teeth roots, as well as potential impacts on speech patterns caused by alterations in articulation patterns caused by gaps left behind from lost teeth! Taking care of our dental health is taking care of our overall well-being – don’t let yourself suffer any longer than necessary if you’re missing one or more teeth!