All teeth have an important role to play. They help you chew and eat food. They also help you speak clearly and are essential for your smile. We start life with 20 milk teeth when we are children, which are then replaced by 32 permanent teeth.
The loss of several teeth can seriously affect your daily life. This can impact your overall health, appearance, and self-esteem. Find out more about the role your teeth play in your mouth and the consequences of losing a tooth below.
Effects on the jawbone and gums
When you lose teeth, this disrupts the interaction between your teeth and bone. The gums and bones are no longer stimulated sufficiently due to the missing teeth, causing the jawbone to shrink and the gums to recede. This can weaken the adjacent teeth until they begin to lean. Another consequence can be the crooked eruption of teeth in the opposite jaw.
Effects on physical appearance
Losing teeth can affect your physical appearance. Missing teeth and reduced jawbone can make you look older with more wrinkles around your mouth, and your cheeks can become flat, as they can no longer be fully supported by your lips and cheeks from the inside.
Every tooth matters
Have you lost a tooth? Find out more about the possible causes of tooth loss and how to avoid them in the future.
Tooth decay
Your tooth has “died”. Plaque is a biofilm that forms on teeth if it is not washed away by saliva or regularly brushed with a toothbrush. Bacteria convert sugars and starches into acids. These acids have a negative effect on tooth enamel by dissolving the minerals that form it. Over time, this can destroy your teeth, creating cavities. If not treated correctly, your tooth can die.
2. Gum inflammation
Your gums are inflamed. Gums are made up of tissues and ligaments that hold and stabilise your teeth. They act as protective shields for the tooth roots and stimulate the jawbone to grow around the tooth. When bacteria cause inflammation of the gums, these ligaments start to break down. The gum recedes and the bone around the tooth reduces.
These gum diseases, also called periodontal diseases, weaken your teeth and expose your sensitive tooth roots. At this stage, bacteria easily grow on your teeth and cause tooth decay and tooth loss.
3. Tooth loss after an accident
You have had an accident. Accidents, for example in sports, can lead to the loss of one or more teeth and can cause trauma to the gums and jawbone. Often, the trauma becomes apparent months or years after the accident, when the tooth root has already been affected.
4. It is genetically determined
Some people are born with a reduced number of teeth or no teeth (a condition called congenital anodontia), while others never develop permanent teeth. Sometimes, the tooth's surface (enamel) is not strong enough, which can result in cone-shaped or peg-shaped teeth (ectodermal dysplasia).
Missing teeth are a common dental health issue among many adult and mature individuals, so one of the most frequent questions patients ask is:
“My missing teeth are causing me problems. What can I do about this?”
The solution is a premium quality dental implant system, such as Nobel Biocare, which offers you next-generation smiles. Speak with our dentists about choosing high-quality dental implants offered by Nobel Biocare to learn how they can replace a missing or severely damaged tooth and restore its full function, as well as its natural appearance and feel.
Bibliography
https://www.nobelbiocare.com/content/patient/international/en/home/missing-teeth/how-dental-implants-can-help.html