Losing a tooth can destroy your confidence and leaving you feeling low. However you lost a tooth, whether it’s an accident that forces your tooth out, or whether it’s due to tooth damage/nerve damage where there is no other option (after a root canal has been ruled out) than to have the tooth replaced.
The end result is a gap in your teeth and depending on where that gap is, the more paranoid it can make you when opening your mouth or smiling.
As people age, tooth loss becomes more common. However, people can also lose teeth at a young age which can be due to multiple reasons: tooth decay, gum disease, trauma to your teeth through injury, excessive wear and tear, or root canal failure. Leaving your gum exposed can cause more problems than you might think. You may only be thinking how it affects your smile and the way you look, but it affects much more than your smile.
The most obvious effect of a missing tooth is losing a perfect smile. This can actually have a very serious effect on people’s self-confidence whether that is a work or their social lives. Having a tooth replacement doesn’t just help with health but with your physical appearance.
Having a tooth loss disturbs the natural balance between tooth and bone, the jaw will start to shrink as soon as your tooth is lost and gums recede. This, unfortunately, will start a cycle, your neighbouring teeth will weaken and yes, will cause more tooth loss. Due to the fact, there is space; the neighbouring teeth will naturally move towards that area making your teeth crooked and causing more orthodontic problems. With your jaw bone becoming weak your face may start to look different and you cheeks might look saggy.
Teeth are used to bite, tear, chew and grind food. If you lose a tooth it immediately affects your ability to eat properly, you might find yourself eating on one side of your mouth to make it easier. In the case of multiple teeth loses opting for softer foods is probably a good option…wrong! Softer foods often have less nutritional value affecting your diet.
Your teeth, tongue and lips play a vital role in the ability to speak. Take one element away and it may become hard. If you have a missing tooth, no matter where it is in your mouth, your pronunciation will be affected.
There are 4 main ways you can combat a missing tooth, these are a removable partial denture, dental implant, a bridge or a temporary denture. We will look at these 4 in more details below.
The removable partial denture is the easiest and most affordable way to replace a tooth; they are used in the day time and taken out during night time hours. They are fixed into position by clasps, however here is the drawback. The clasps, which are metal, can be visible when you smile, laugh or speak. If you don’t mind this too much then they are worth looking into.
Some people have reported that they tend to become slightly uncomfortable at times due to the denture moving when eating or talking. This isn’t always the case, but it’s worth noting.
The second way to cover a missing tooth is to get a dental implant and as the name suggests mimics a tooth, so everything from eating, brushing your teeth and talking feels natural. It looks natural and feels natural. Over the course of a few months the area will then heal before abutment is applied, to which a crown will be cemented.
The focus for an implant is the missing tooth, so no work is needed on surrounding teeth in the same way a bridge would be used.
Most commonly, a dental bridge is used when you have lost a single tooth but can also be used for multiple missing teeth. The teeth on either side of the gap are cut down allowing them to be connected together. The bridge is a permanent solution as it is cemented into your mouth.
The drawback is that the teeth either side could be healthy, normal teeth. So you need to think whether it is worth cutting them down to make a bridge?
The plus side is that you could have a tooth either side that needs work, something such as a crown or a dental filling. This solution will then essentially take care of two problems for you.
So, you have lost a tooth but you have plans to replace it at some point in the future? Then this is the denture for you. The temporary denture does exactly what it says on the in. While the area heals, and you await a bridge or dental implant the temporary denture will help you out.
They are cheaper than the removal partial denture, less bulky but less sturdy which may help you decide whether this is the solution for you.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod te...
