Things to Know if You’ve Lost a Tooth
Did you know that tooth loss is preventable? In most cases, it occurs from conditions that are typically highly preventable, such as gum disease. However, it occurs often enough that knowing how to deal with tooth loss and preserve your smile afterward is an important part of many people’s dental health care. At our Saxonburg, PA, dental office, education is also an important part of the care we provide. Today, we examine a few things you should know if you’ve lost a tooth to improve your chances of preserving the rest of your oral health for life.
It matters how you lost the tooth
The first step to addressing your tooth loss is to understand and address the reason why you lost it. For example, if it was accidental trauma, then you may need to restore damaged tissues or oral structures around the tooth. If you lost a tooth because of gum disease, then you’re likely to lose more if you don’t get the disease under control first. Any prosthesis you choose to replace your lost tooth may also fail, as gum disease progresses by eroding the gums and jawbone structure that support it.
Your risks of losing more are still higher
By addressing the cause of your lost tooth, you can stop that specific cause from increasing your risks of further tooth loss. However, the loss of the tooth itself can still have an impact on those risks. For example, remaining teeth can shift because of the gap in your bite’s balance, making them more susceptible to loss due to decay, damage, or gum disease around their roots. The missing tooth’s root also means your jawbone is stimulated less by biting and chewing. This results in a diminished flow of nutrients that leads to the gradual loss of your jawbone’s mass and density.
Dental implants can do more for your smile
Conventional dental prostheses like bridges and dentures go a long way in restoring your smile when you’ve lost one or more teeth. However, dental implants offer the only solution for replacing your lost teeth roots, which makes them the most comprehensive solution for helping you reduce your risks of losing more teeth. Dental implant posts stimulate your jaw every time you bite and chew, and can support a highly lifelike crown, bridge, or denture, depending on how many teeth you’ve lost. This can slow or stop the jawbone erosion that usually occurs when you lose one or more teeth roots.
Save your smile after losing a tooth
You may have lost one or multiple teeth, but you still have hope of restoring your smile’s health, function, and appearance with the a custom-designed dental prosthesis. For more information, schedule a consultation by calling Saxonburg Dental Care in Saxonburg, PA, today at (724) 352-4440.
