Missing teeth do more than affect your smile.
When you lose a tooth, it can affect you socially and psychologically, especially if your missing tooth affects your toothy grin. However, it is not just those unsightly gaps that cause problems. A lost tooth can also affect health, function, and facial aesthetics.
According to the Glen Dental Center, the bones that surround your teeth need stimulation in order to maintain density and form. The sac-like bone, called the alveolar, supports, surrounds your teeth, and gets its stimulation from your teeth themselves.
Because your teeth make contact with each other throughout the day and night, the small stresses are transmitted through your periodontal ligament. Your periodontal ligaments help your teeth rebuild continuously. When you lose a tooth because of a lack of alveolar bone stimulation, you will begin to lose bone volume. When your bone loses its height and width there will be a decrease in gum tissue making it difficult to speak and chew. The more teeth you lose, the less function you will have. However, it will not stop there.
Once your bone is lost the bone underneath, known as the basal bone, will begin to melt away. The distance between your chin and nose will decrease causing the lower part of your face to collapse. You chin will rotate upwards and forwards making your cheeks appear hollow. Without your teeth, your tongue will spread into the empty space causing further facial collapse.
Dental Implants
It used to be that the only way to replace a missing tooth was with a dental bridge or dentures, however, thanks to the wonders of modern 21st century dental technology your missing teeth can be replaced with a much stronger solution, Dental Implants.
Dental Implants are just as strong, if not stronger than your natural teeth and are implanted directly into your jawbone. Dental Implants are replacement tooth roots that will give you a strong foundation for replacement teeth that are custom made to match your natural teeth.
There are several advantages to Dental Implants that include improved appearance. Because Dental Implants feel and look just like your natural teeth, and because they fuse directly to your bone, they will be permanent giving you a smile that you can be proud of.
Dental Implants can also boost your self-confidence and improve your speech. Because dentures slip, they can cause you to slur your words or mumble. With Dental Implants, you can speak freely without worrying that your dentures may slip. Dental Implants allow you to eat comfortably while enjoying your favorite foods. Certain foods are sometimes avoided with dentures because it is just too painful.
One of the biggest advantages of Dental Implants is an improvement in your oral health. Because your natural teeth to do need to be reduced, which is required for a tooth supported bridge, your nearby teeth will not need to be altered in order to support the implant. Because more of your natural teeth will be left intact, it will improve your long-term oral health.
If you practice good oral hygiene, quit smoking and take care of your dental implants your new natural looking teeth can last a lifetime.
For more information regarding Dental Implants, call and schedule an appointment with Glen Dental Center today.