If you are considering whether or not you should replace your missing teeth, you might want to learn three important reasons you should replace them.
#1: Did You Know Missing Teeth Can Change The Appearance Of Your Face?
You might have thought about how someone may spot your missing tooth if you show off an open-mouth smile. But did you know that a single missing tooth can affect the rest of your face as well? A missing tooth can cause the following changes in the rest of your facial structure:
- A missing tooth can affect the rest of your teeth. Your remaining teeth can shift towards the empty space and thus become crooked or misaligned. If you had a neat, straight smile before the missing tooth, a replacement tooth may be worth the investment.
- Missing teeth can affect your jawbone and result in gradual changes that can prematurely age you. The bones of your jaw serve as a foundation for your teeth, and the lack of stimulation in the gap of a missing tooth can result in a decrease in both bone density and volume. This bone deterioration can cause your chin and nose to become closer together on your face. Your lips can also turn downwards, resulting in a frown even as you’d prefer to maintain a neutral expression. With these changes, you would look not only older, but unhappier and less approachable.
#2: Have You Noticed How Missing Teeth Affect Your Speech And How You Chew?
It might be endearing when a child has a lisp because they lost a tooth, but a speech impediment and a missing tooth may not be the best first impression to make when you’re an adult. In order to produce specific sounds, your tongue touches your teeth in certain ways. As you can imagine, losing a tooth would thus directly impact the sound of your speech. Another way a missing tooth would affect your daily life is in how you eat. A missing tooth creates an empty gap that leaves gum tissue susceptible to injury as you chew and eat your food. You might have to consciously make the strategic choice to take smaller bites so that you don’t irritate your gums as you enjoy your meal. A missing tooth is as much a function concern as it is an aesthetic one.
#3: Consider That Missing Teeth Are More Expensive To Replace Later On
Dental work can be costly, but it can make a difference to get a dental implant sooner rather than later. As time goes on, the bone quality at the site of a missing tooth deteriorates due to lack of stimulation. A dental implant can become more expensive and more complicated if the bone cannot provide a suitable foundation for an implant. It is also worth noting that if you lose a tooth because you have not been keeping up your dental health, then it would be costly to replace multiple missing teeth should you lose additional teeth as well.
How Can A Dentist Replace A Missing Tooth?
Your dentist may recommend dental implants if you are missing a tooth. Dental implants can be the perfect solution to protecting the existing healthy bone structure; improving function, comfort, and speech; and restoring the appearance of your smile.
There are other options your dentist can guide you though as well if you’re not a candidate for an implant, such as a bridge. However, if you just do nothing for too long, you may lose out on opportunities, and suffer more consequences.
You might be a good candidate for dental implants if you have healthy gum tissue, a strong and healthy jawbone, and after a careful evaluation of the location of your nerves and sinuses. For patients in the Altoona, IA area, consider Altoona Smiles for your family and cosmetic dentistry needs. Call 515-200-1299 to ask about missing tooth options or schedule a visit today.
