Dental News

What Are the Long-Term Effects of Tooth Loss?

December 5, 2014

Losing a tooth has the potential to negatively impact your overall health.

What Are the Long-Term Effects of Tooth Loss?Did you know that over 178 million Americans are missing at least one tooth? Or that 35 million of these people are missing all of their teeth? This is a serious problem that poor and older populations are especially vulnerable to. Just as these individuals are less likely to get the professional dental care needed to prevent tooth loss due to gum disease and tooth decay in the first place, they are also less likely to get their tooth loss properly treated. Failing to replace missing teeth can lead to the following problems.

Aesthetic Problems

Missing teeth naturally detract from an attractive smile. If many teeth are lost, the entire face may take on a sunken appearance. Either way, tooth loss can cause individuals to become self-conscious about their appearance. In older populations, this self-consciousness has been linked to withdrawal from friends and family, isolation, and depression.

Speech Impediment

Many sounds in the English language are made by touching the tongue against the back of the top teeth. When these teeth are lost and not replaced, the individual’s pronunciation will suffer. One study found that 88 percent of individuals with missing teeth had speech problems, and 25 percent of these individuals had severe problems that interfered with their ability to participate in social activities.

Poor Nutrition

Another problem associated with missing teeth is poor nutrition. Typically, nutrition will only begin to be affected when many teeth have been lost. Losing the molars can be especially detrimental, as this prevents individuals from being able to chew normally. They may adjust their diet to include only soft foods, resulting in nutritional imbalance that has the potential to affect their overall health by contributing to problems like obesity, diabetes, or heart disease.

Bones Loss in the Jaw

One final long-term effect of missing teeth is bone loss in the jaw. Without the root of a tooth to stimulate tissue, the jawbone will begin remodeling itself, becoming less dense and therefore weaker. In the first year alone, up to 25 percent of the width of the bone in the area of the missing tooth may be lost. Some degree of bone loss will continue throughout the life of the patient.

Only Dental Implants Solve All These Problems

When it comes to replacing missing teeth, your options may include crowns, dentures or partial dentures, or dental implants. Any of these options will help restore a beautiful smile and the ability to chew normally. However, speech problems may be temporarily exacerbated by dentures, and neither crowns nor dentures will solve the problem of bone loss in the jaw. The only way to stop bone loss in the jaw as well as solve all the other problems associated with tooth loss is with dental implants. The titanium implant pegs will actually bond with the bone in the jaw, stopping bone loss and creating a strong foundation for the replacement teeth. Dental implants can be used successfully to replace single teeth, groups of teeth, or entire sets of teeth. Contact California Dental Group today to learn more.

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