Missing teeth can affect your self-confidence, making you not want to smile or laugh as freely as you’d like. While this is reason enough to consider replacing them and obviously rather unpleasant, there are countless other reasons to replace missing teeth. Leaving these gaps open can result in a range of dental maladies, and even affect how your mouth works.

Luckily, if you’re missing teeth and are concerned about your dental health, we can provide dental implants and implant-retained dentures to suit you. The Roseacre Dental team in Kent would always recommend replacing a missing tooth because it not only restores form, feel, and function to your mouth but also saves you from these health concerns.

Missing teeth expose your gums

The gap left by a missing tooth or teeth leaves areas of your gums exposed and vulnerable to the contributing factors of gum disease. You’re far more likely to develop gum disease if you don’t replace this missing tooth because this area would otherwise be protected by a tooth. Food debris and sugars interact with the gums here and cling to vulnerable places, attracting bacteria. These bacteria break down the debris and produce toxins that harm and inflame our gums. The development of gum disease is entirely preventable, but it can be very painful and uncomfortable if it is left to worsen. Shielding your gums and replacing missing teeth with dental implants lessens its chances of developing.

Missing teeth expose other tooth surfaces

The gap of a missing tooth doesn’t just leave an area of your gums open and exposed, but they also leave the surfaces of your neighbouring teeth exposed too. These unsupported teeth could drift into the gap, creating misaligned teeth and altered function. However, these gaps that expose usually hidden tooth surfaces create extra nooks and crannies for bacteria and food debris to build up. These hard-to-reach places are ideal for the development of cavities and decay, requiring further treatments that would have otherwise been prevented. You could even run the risk of losing another tooth via extraction should this decay worsen. Opting to replace a missing tooth saves your remaining teeth from developing unnecessary cavities, so you won’t have to replace anymore!

Missing teeth affect your jaw function and bite

Replacing missing teeth ensures your jaw fits together nicely without endangering any surrounding teeth. When we leave the gap, the surrounding natural teeth can drift and move. This will cause problems with your bite, smile, and how your jaw sits together. This kind of drifting alters how your jaw sits together and therefore enacts more wear and tear on your natural teeth than usual. The extra burden shouldered by your remaining teeth can become uncomfortable and wear them away in ways they weren’t designed for, leading to the need for extra treatment. The unnecessary colliding and misplacement of your jaw could really affect your overall jaw health, leading to bone loss.

Missing teeth affect your jaw bone

Your teeth’s roots stretch into your jaw bone, so the two share a mutually beneficial relationship that is carefully regulated by the body. When you lose a tooth, your jaw inevitably mourns its loss. The jaw bone loses signals from the missing tooth or teeth and, in their absence, stops producing tissue in that area that keeps the bone strong and healthy. This leads to weakened bone, strength, and structure. Replacing missing teeth with dental implants ensures that your jaw bone remains as sturdy as possible. The titanium root we place will eventually fuse with your jaw bone, keeping the area as strong as possible.

Replacing missing teeth with dental implants really does positively affect the maintenance of your dental health. They drastically lessen your chances of developing dental health problems in the future, lessening the need for future unnecessary treatments. Speak to a friendly member of staff on 01622 730 548 or enquire online to find out more about dental implants with Roseacre Dental today.