Advances in Dental Technology Make Replacing Missing Teeth Easier Than Ever!
Many people experience the loss of a permanent tooth at some point in their lives. Once the tooth has been extracted, you choose whether you will replace the missing tooth or not. Drs. Scott and Michelle Weninger strongly advise their patients to replace teeth for a number of reasons.
Potential Consequences of Not Replacing a Missing Tooth
Believe it or not, missing teeth can cause long-term problems for your remaining teeth and mouth in general. Intact teeth on either side of the missing tooth will gradually shift to fill in the hole. As teeth shift, a person’s bite changes. Unfortunately, the resulting malocclusion tends to put additional strain on the jaw. Overbites and crossbites that did not formerly exist may appear after teeth have shifted to fill the gap left by the missing tooth. Malocclusion also makes it difficult to brush those hard-to-reach places, so decay is an added worry the longer you still have teeth missing.
Missing teeth can even impact how you chew food. Many people assume that a missing tooth is unimportant if it is a back tooth that is hidden from view. Unfortunately, poor chewing habits can result in digestive issues such as acid reflux. Not chewing food properly can also cause malnutrition since the digestive tract has to struggle to absorb nutrients from un-chewed food.
Bone loss occurs once the root structure has been extracted. As the bone shrinks back, the mouth begins to look sunken-in, since bone tissue has no reason to regenerate in the absence of a tooth root. Even denture wearers experience sagging and have to get new dentures made periodically to account for natural bone loss.
Tooth Restorations Made Simple
Modern-day tooth restoration options include dental implants, bridges, and partial or full dentures. Dental implants look and feel the most natural. In fact, some patients report that their newly restored teeth feel stronger than their natural teeth once the healing process is complete.
Dental implants continue to evolve. Ask your skilled Tampa dentists if there is an implant option that suits your situation. Bone grafting and sinus augmentation may open the dental implant procedure to even more patients.
Give Weninger Dentistry a call at 813-501-6864 or visit us online if you would like to learn more about tooth replacement options fit your circumstances.