You are suppose to have missing teeth when you’re a child, but your adult teeth are meant to stay in your mouth. If you do lose your teeth , you might want to look into dental implants. Continue reading to learn about a few of the dangers that come with missing teeth:
Risk of Heart Disease
Many people are under the impression that tooth loss isn’t a big deal, and that it merely leaves gaps in the smile. This could not be further from the truth, as evidenced by the link between tooth loss and heart disease. Widespread tooth loss can cause inflammation as well as harden the arteries, both of which contribute to serious heart problems. Heart disease isn’t the only health condition associated with tooth loss, as missing teeth and diabetes also share a connection.
Bone Resorption
When you lose a tooth, you lose more than just the part of what you see. Every tooth has a root, and the root stimulates the jawbone to which it’s fused. When you remove the root, you remove this stimulation. Without a treatment such as dental implants, this can lead to bone resorption. This occurs when the bone mass gradually disappears, and it can ultimately change the shape of your face. Dental implants seek to replace both the visible tooth/crown and the root of the tooth, once again stimulating the bone and preventing resorption.
Lower Self-Esteem
Whether or not you lose a tooth long enough for bone resorption to occur, you will still have a gap in your smile. Multiple missing teeth mean multiple gaps, which can be harmful for you as well as your self-esteem. Your smile may be the first thing another person notices when looking at you. Some people shy away from smiling because they are unhappy with their teeth. If this sounds like you, talk to your dentist about treatment.
Just because you’ve lost some teeth doesn’t mean you can’t replace them. At University Associates in Dentistry, we are leaders in dental implants in Chicago. If you’d like to learn about our teeth implants, visit our website or give us a call at (312) 704-5511.
