Tooth loss can sometimes be the worst-case result of an underlying oral health problem that continues to grow worse. The damage or harm that the condition can cause to your tooth and/or oral tissues can lead to the tooth falling out or needing to be extracted as part of your smile restoration. However, that doesn’t mean that tooth loss has to be a continuously negative influence on your smile and oral health. By understanding the details surrounding your tooth loss and how it can impact your oral health, you have a better chance of choosing the right restorative treatment option to rebuild and preserve your smile.
What your other teeth go through afterward
When you lose a tooth, all of your attention can be focused on that tooth and the empty space that it created. However, your remaining healthy, natural teeth will react poorly to the loss, and they’ll need even more attention to remain healthy. For example, the empty space in your dental ridge can cause the teeth that are closest to it to shift toward the space. The pressure of your biting and chewing can become imbalanced, and these teeth may try to make up the slack by moving to fill the space. This can lead to a host of problems for your bite function, as well as the health and integrity of your remaining natural tooth structure.
What you may not realize until years later
The impacts of losing a tooth on the rest of your remaining teeth can become obvious fairly quickly. However, not all of the effects of tooth loss can be immediately visible, and many of them affect more than just your remaining teeth. For example, one of the more profound effects of tooth loss involve the loss of your tooth’s root and how the surrounding bone and oral structures respond to it. Without the root, your jawbone receives less stimulation and, consequently, fewer minerals and nutrients. This can lead to the bone structure losing mass and density, becoming weaker, and making it more likely that you’ll continue losing teeth in the future.
What you can do to preserve your smile better
Understanding the different ways in which tooth loss impacts the rest of your oral health is key to dealing with the situation in a way that truly restores your smile. For example, preventing you remaining teeth from becoming compromised requires a lifelike replacement that closely mimics the size, shape, and contour of your lost tooth. Addressing the loss of your tooth’s root can be essential to preserving the health and integrity of your dental ridge, and is only possible by supporting your replacement tooth on a dental implant post.
Learn the best way to deal with your tooth loss
The best way to deal with tooth loss is to prevent it, but if that fails, then it’s important to understand how to effectively restore and preserve your smile. To learn more, schedule an appointment by calling Creekside Family Dental Care in Columbia, TN, today at (931) 388–3384.