Health Consequences of Missing Teeth

We hope that everyone’s summer has been a fun one! As we launch our newsletter this month, we wanted to discuss how important it is to replace missing teeth, and not just because it can boost your self-esteem and confidence. While having an incomplete smile may be reason enough to get people to replace teeth, not enough dentists talk about the significant health consequences that can occur.

Furthermore, we believe it’s important that patients know why not replacing teeth can shorten your life expectancy. In fact, many studies have shown that the failing to replace teeth can reduce people’s life expectancy by 10 years.

If you’re wondering what you can do to avoid the aesthetic and health consequences of missing teeth, you’ll want to keep reading this month’s newsletter.

Missing Teeth and Mental Health

Patients often mention how difficult it is to smile around others when they have missing teeth, even friends and family. Having a smile with numerous gaps affects their overall self-confidence, preventing them from smiling as often as they’d like to. As a result, patients feel less inclined to spend time with others outside of the house or practice social interaction, which after enough time can take a toll on their mental health.

Those who care about their appearance should know that missing teeth means that the tooth roots are missing as well. Tooth roots are responsible for allowing blood flow to the gums and facial tissue. Without this, the natural shape and elasticity of the face is reduced, causing it to sag, appear hollow, and make you look older than you actually are.

The only way to restore this function is by replacing the roots, which other tooth replacement options fail to do.

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Why Life Expectancy is Reduced

If you have missing teeth, you’re probably aware of how difficult it is to eat many of the foods you used to. Crunchy and healthy foods like fruits and vegetables become impossible to eat, and cooking them until they’re soft only removes most of their nutritional value. This forces patients to adopt a softer and less balanced diet that is typically lacking proper nutrients.

When a smile has multiple gaps, it causes neighboring teeth to shift into the empty space to compensate. As a result, the smile becomes misaligned, the bite becomes unbalanced, and the risk of developing chronic conditions like temporomandibular joint disorder and enamel erosion go up.

For these reasons, your implant dentist wants to explain why dental implants are the best option for your overall health and appearance.

The Best Solution to Replacing Teeth

Dental implants are the only tooth replacement option that provides patients with a reliable smile and functions that are indistinguishable from natural teeth. That’s because dental implants are:

Durable
Reliable
Capable of restoring blood flow
Prevent bone reabsorption (which leads to a smaller and weaker jawbone)
Dramatically increase your biting force
Are the most natural-looking prosthetic in dentistry today

Whether you’re missing a single tooth or multiple teeth, Dr. Raj offers several methods to replace them with dental implants, even if you currently wear dentures.

You won’t be able to avoid the negative side effects of missing teeth forever, so it’s worth telling your friend or family member how they can invigorate their smile and retain their overall and oral health. To get started, feel free to schedule an implant consultation to determine what you need to receive dental implants. We hope to see you soon!

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