Why Choose Implant Dentistry?
The Facts on Missing Teeth
From accidents to oral health deterioration, it’s likely that you know someone who’s missing a tooth. Sometimes teeth are knocked as a result of a trauma but the leading cause of tooth loss in adults is periodontal disease. Patients over the age of 65 have an average of just 18.9 remaining teeth out of 32 in total.
Even though the percentage of adults over the age of 50 who have lost all of their teeth has declined from 17 percent to 11 percent over the course of 15 years, the risks associated with tooth loss can be detrimental to affected individuals.
How Does A Missing Tooth Affect Your Smile?
Missing teeth negatively impacts your appearance, self esteem and your oral health. It also makes it difficult to bite and chew which can lead to changes in your diet and nutrition. When you lose as little as one tooth, your neighboring teeth will shift into place which causes alignment issues. Not only does this affect the appearance of your smile, but it changes the way your teeth fit together, called occlusion.
As a result, patients with missing teeth tend to suffer from headaches and are at a higher risk for increased fractures to the surrounding teeth. When a person with healthy teeth chews their food forces are placed through the jawbone which keeps the bones healthy. Without the necessary stimulation, patients with missing teeth will experience a decline in jawbone density within a few months. This leads to the sunken-in appearance known as facial collapse.
