Do you think dental implants are just a cosmetic concern? Think again. Missing teeth have the potential to create very serious medical issues and need to be addressed right away.
Missing teeth are more than just a cosmetic concern. The mouth was designed to have all of its teeth in place,
and when some of them are gone, it cannot function properly. This is why having dental implants placed as soon as possible after a tooth falls out is so important.
Believe it or not, missing teeth affect both your oral and overall medical health. They can also impact your self-confidence and ultimately your emotional health. When your teeth are not in their proper place, you create an off bite. This means that your jaw does not close properly, and opens the door to a slew of problems.
In order to compensate for this, your teeth will drift and tilt in an attempt to fill in the gaps. This creates even more spaces in your mouth. Food particles can get stuck in those spaces, causing gum disease and tooth decay, and eventually causing more teeth to fall out.
The cycle continues as the opposing teeth are no longer touching properly. They can then erupt farther than they should and start to drift upward into the gaps. This creates even more bite problems, and eventually creates strain and stress on the jaw joint, which leads to a condition known as TMJ. Dental implants can prevent this entire process by filling in the gap created by the missing tooth.
Your jaw joint is not the only thing affected by missing teeth. They also affect the bone that supports the jaw. The moment a tooth falls out, this bone begins to dissolve. The process is slow, but the longer you leave the gap, the more bone is lost. Once bone is lost, it cannot be restored. If you wait too long, there may not be enough bone left to accept dental implants, and you will be left with no choice but to use dentures. This missing bone can also make it difficult to chew certain foods.
All of these problems can be avoided completely by replacing the lost tooth right away. While having an implant does represent a monetary investment, the returns far outweigh this small cost. After all, you are protecting the health of your entire mouth and jaw by dealing with the problem as soon as it comes up, rather than waiting.
If you wait to address the problem, it may be too late. The movement of your surrounding teeth and the bone loss that happens when teeth are missing can make it impossible to have dental implants when enough time has passed after you lost your tooth.
Remember, a missing tooth is far more than just a cosmetic issue. It is a serious health concern, and failure to address it will lead to long-term, life-altering changes in your health. It is far easier to get dental implants now than to deal with bone loss and joint problems later, so call your dentist the moment you have lost that tooth. Your mouth will thank you as it is able to remain healthy and strong for many more years with the help of an implant.
