Consequences of Tooth Loss

Tooth loss is not inevitable; at least, not until you reach old age when losing teeth is a natural phenomenon. For some people, tooth loss may happen as early as their teenage or even earlier when they get permanent teeth. This may be because of several factors, some of which include:

• Caries or dental cavities are the most important contributing factor.
• Early loss of teeth in children and adults.
• Physical injury or hard blow on the face or mouth as a result of physical sports.
• Accidents.
• Tooth infection may become difficult to treat resulting in tooth extraction.
• Gum disease or periodontitis.

While all of the above problems may be a common occurrence at any age, they’re preventable. The dentist at Toluca Lake clinic says that good oral hygiene practices inculcated at an early age go a long way.
However, this post intends to focus more on the after-effects of tooth loss in people. Read on.

What Happens After Loss of Tooth/Teeth?

A missing or lost tooth in a person because of any of the factors mentioned above may result in:

• An unpleasant smile or orofacial appearance. Your smile surely can’t be the same with even one tooth missing, especially in the upper or lower front jaw.
• Impacting your overall personality and appearance. Sometimes missing teeth may make a person look older than their actual age.
• Loss of bone at the site of the lost tooth. With overload increasing on the adjacent teeth, it may gradually cause excessive wearing of dental bone in the area.
• Shifting of adjacent teeth. Again, this may happen because of all the load drifting toward the nearby teeth. This may lead to excess wearing down of those teeth and they may even start shifting from their original position.
• Over eruption of the opposite tooth. The tooth lying opposite to the lost/missed tooth starts shifting to the empty gap and losing its normal alignment.
• Tooth decay. Caries or cavities become common occurrences because space makes room for food lodgment. The food particles get stuck in the gap which also becomes difficult to clean. This causes other teeth to start decaying.
• Difficulty in chewing food. Our entire dental structure is responsible for performing this function efficiently. Anyone tooth missing may result in inefficiency and difficulty in the process. Most importantly, this would impact overall digestion because food not chewed properly wouldn’t get digested well either.
• TMJ disorders. Loss of teeth is also believed to be linked to problems with incorrect jaw positioning and movement. Improper alignment of teeth after a loss can result in stress at the jaw joint, leading to TMJ problems.

How to Prevent Tooth Loss?

As mentioned earlier, tooth loss can be prevented. You only need to take care of your oral health daily. This can be done by:

• Using fluoride toothpaste and brushing your teeth twice daily
• Flossing at least once a day
• Avoiding consumption of tobacco, smoking, and drinking alcohol
• Staying away from sugary drinks and chewing sugary gums and candies
• Avoiding sticky food and increasing intake of hard foods such as salads and raw vegetables
• Visiting your Toluca Lake dentist at least twice a year for regular dental checkups.

Tooth loss at Toluca Lake can be treated by the use of dental implants, dental bridges, and crowns.

Ask your dentist for the best option in your case. For more assistance, you may call 818-483-9077 to book an appointment with our dentist today. We are looking forward to helping you with the prevention and treatment of tooth loss in Toluca Lake.