It’s something you can easily see, especially if the missing teeth are in the front. But these missing teeth may also make you lose your confidence and cause you to stop smiling. Missing teeth can not only change your smile but also affects the skin around the mouth due to the lack of teeth present for support. The skin will sag, and this will make you look much older.

Chewing could be a problem especially if the teeth you are missing are molars. The weakening of other teeth also occurs because there are fewer teeth to use when eating. If you are having problems swallowing and chewing it may then cause you to have nutritional problems. These reasons should be enough to make you want to replace your missing teeth, but there are other important unobserved issues. Your teeth stimulate the alveolar, the sac-like bone that supports the teeth. If you are missing teeth, there is no stimulation to maintain the density or the form of the bone. Tooth loss may affect the height, width, and volume of the bone. It will make it harder to chew and speak. When the alveolar bone is gone, the basal bone, or jawbone, which is the bone beneath it, begins to deteriorate and may give the cheeks a hollow look.

The space left behind from missing teeth or a missing tooth needs to be filled to avoid teeth drifting. Teeth drifting refers to teeth migrating to open spaces left behind by missing teeth. To compensate for a missing tooth, the adjacent teeth will begin to shift and grow erratically to fill this space. The results are crooked teeth that are difficult to clean, resulting in further tooth loss.

Using dental implants can keep your smile and halt bone loss. Implants function and feel like real teeth. They are strong and usually made of titanium, which has the unique ability to fuse with your living bone. Contact us to learn about additional options, and, as always, be sure to stay up on your dental care by brushing, flossing and regular check-ups.