You need a tooth replacement if you have at least one missing tooth. It is embarrassing and uncomfortable to have even one missing tooth. This can be bad for your dental health. Replacing the missing tooth is possible with dental implants, dental bridges, or dentures. If you want to know why you must prepare to get a tooth replacement, here are the details.
Tooth loss may affect mental and general health
Losing a tooth leads to difficulty in chewing and speaking. Having a hole in a smile can be embarrassing and irritating the longer it stays that way. Adults with missing teeth suffer on a different level. Self-image degrades. Speech patterns change. These consequences of tooth loss affect the person’s mental state.
Missing teeth can cause depression. This can reduce the person’s ability to maintain relationships. It can even deny the person a much-deserved advancement at work. A missing tooth can make eating difficult and painful. This can affect the person’s general health. The inability to eat favorite foods can affect a person’s well-being.
Digestion starts in the mouth. Some foods must go through a good amount of chewing to extract the nutrients from them. A patient with incomplete teeth cannot chew every piece of food well. This may change the level of the patient’s nutrient intake.
A tooth-replacement system can change all of this into something positive. Chewing, smiling, and speaking better elevate a person’s positive attitude. Every person deserves to have a good quality of life after tooth loss. A person who has a complete set of teeth can be productive, happy, and healthy again.
Neighboring teeth can loosen and shift
A mouth with a complete dentition is stable. The teeth support each other as the person speaks, chews, and smiles. Tooth loss breaks this stability. A gap causes the remaining teeth to loosen or move. This changes the patient’s bite. It also leads to tooth decay and periodontal disease.
Causes temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder
Muscles along each side of the jaw help in rotating and chewing. These are temporomandibular joints. The joint system of the jaw can develop a TMJ disorder if there is tooth loss. A missing tooth changes the patient’s bite. This misaligns the teeth and the way the jaw functions.
A TMJ disorder is painful. That is why the patient should get a tooth replacement right away. This restoration can bring back the proper alignment of teeth. The jaw does not need to change in movement anymore. Tooth replacement can prevent and help correct TMJ disorders.
The facial structure changes
Tooth loss can start dental shifting, bone loss, and sagging of facial skin. The face has a sunken-in appearance, making the patient look older. Tooth replacement helps restructure the face into a younger-looking one. This is enough to bring back the patient’s self-image.
Benefits of tooth replacement
There are many options available for replacing teeth. Patients often think about the most stable way to achieve this. By replacing the entire tooth structure, the patient can maximize the benefits of tooth replacement. Here are some of these benefits:
- It restores the person’s bite force. The titanium post acts as dental roots. They merge with the jawbone for months. Then, the artificial porcelain tooth will go on the top part of the post with the help of the titanium abutment. These materials are durable enough to support a person’s bite force. The patient will be able to bite and chew like before.
- It prevents bone loss. Implanting the titanium rod into the jawbone will mimic the missing dental root. The rod will stimulate the jawbone. This will tell the body to send nutrients to that area of the jawbone for tissue repair and replacement. This will then prevent jawbone loss.
- It matches natural teeth. The dentist will match the color of the artificial tooth with the remaining natural teeth. Knowing which tooth is real and which is not is a secret between the dentist and the patient.
- It supports natural speech. Since the tooth replacement is one with the jawbone, the patient can pronounce words without any problem at all. There will be an adjustment period, but the patient will get used to the dental replacement over time.
- It supports facial structures. Since tooth replacement prevents jawbone loss, it also prevents the loss of support for facial structures. This prevents the development of a sunken look. It makes the individual look years younger.
You should consider a tooth replacement if you have missing teeth
Tooth loss is a huge problem. It has negative effects on the person’s physical, mental, and emotional health. Considering tooth replacement options can prevent consequences like depression or TMJ disorders. An appointment with your dentist can start your personal journey back to optimal health.
Are you considering having a tooth replacement in the Scottsdale area? Get more information at https://sonorandesertdentistry.com.
Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Options For Replacing Missing Teeth in Scottsdale, AZ.
Recent Posts
If you are looking to replace one or more missing teeth, there are several tooth replacement options available. It is always recommended to replace missing teeth for the sake of your dental health and looks. Your teeth are designed to work together to help you speak and chew. When teeth are missing, it is hard…
You should not delay fixing a missing tooth. Ignoring this problem can cause serious health problems. There are possible emotional effects too. The good news is that your dentist has the knowledge and training to perform a few different treatments. Each of these can restore your smile and your ability to chew effectively. Your first…
Choosing the best option for replacing a missing tooth is a personal decision. When a person loses a tooth, it's important to replace it as soon as possible. Not only can missing teeth affect someone's appearance and self-confidence, but they also prevent the natural progression of the jawbone, which may lead to other dental problems…
The bridge is a dental repair that is cemented in place and is used to replace missing teeth. It is done by attaching an artificial tooth definitively to an adjacent tooth, be it natural or artificial. In most cases, crowns are artificial teeth paired with bridges. They are usually made from porcelain or blended resin.…