What Happens If You Don’t Replace Missing Teeth?

Your teeth are held in place by tooth roots, jawbone tissue, gums, and other teeth. Once you lose one tooth, your risk of further tooth loss increases significantly. This can lead to reduced self-confidence and other complications down the road.

Fortunately, our restorative dentists can help you explore different ways to replace missing teeth before they affect your oral health.

Here are 5 reasons why tooth replacement is a good idea. For more information, request an appointment with one of our dentists in Grand Rapids, MI.

Is it Necessary to Replace Missing Teeth?

Tooth replacement is in your best interest and highly recommended. As soon as you replace a missing tooth, you improve the overall health of your mouth. The space left by a missing tooth negatively affects your nutrition, the surrounding teeth, and your jawbone.

For example, replacing a missing tooth with a dental implant benefits the look and function of your mouth while contributing to your overall oral health. We also offer other restorative options, such as dentures and dental bridges.

Why Tooth Replacement is a Good Idea:

1. Expanded Diet

Missing teeth make eating the foods we love difficult and even painful. If you limit your diet to only what your teeth can handle, you will miss out on many important nutrients. Our dentists can help you explore your tooth replacement options, like dental implants, so you never have to worry about missing out on healthy foods. With gaps in your smile filled in, you can enjoy harder, crunchier options, not just those that are soft.

2. Better Oral Health

Each tooth in your mouth provides support for the teeth around it. When one tooth is missing, the surrounding teeth have nothing to lean on and will tilt toward the open space.

This leads to crooked teeth that are harder to clean properly and can result in tooth decay or further tooth loss. Replacement options like dentures or dental implants help keep natural teeth in their original positions and prevent excess hard-to-reach tartar buildup.

3. Stronger Jawbone

Your body can detect when you lose a tooth and will start to absorb the minerals in your jaw to use elsewhere. As a result, the area of the jaw around the empty socket will start to deteriorate.

The patient may eventually experience facial collapse, which changes the shape of the face and makes dentures difficult to wear. Unlike other tooth replacement options, dental implants are placed in the jaw and act like natural tooth roots. This gives jawbone tissue the stimulation it needs to be healthy.

4. Higher Self-Esteem

Your smile is often the first thing people notice about you. It can say a lot about your personality. For these reasons, our dentists offer restorative options such as the dental implant procedure for you to choose from.

If you’ve ever felt embarrassed about your smile, you owe it to yourself to schedule a consultation with one of our dentists. A missing front tooth can especially make it difficult to smile confidently or meet people for the first time without feeling self-conscious.

5. Improved Ability to Speak and Chew

Having one or more teeth missing can lead to changes in the way you eat your food and pronounce words. For example, it’s common for people who have experienced tooth loss to only chew on one side of their mouth or chew at a slower pace. Certain words may also become difficult to say depending on where in your mouth teeth are missing.

Replacing teeth can help your jaw and facial muscles as well as realign your bite. Restoration will not only allow you to comfortably speak with others, but it will also grant you the ability to eat a variety of foods again.

Call Our Office Today

We can help you explore your tooth replacement options during your consultation. To request an appointment with one of our restorative dentists in Grand Rapids, MI, call Contemporary Family Dental at (616) 209-3969.

This blog post has been updated.