The Risks Of Not Getting Teeth Replacements

Replacing missing teeth is not all about how you look, they can cause serious health problems. Your teeth are an important part of your life. They give you your beautiful smile and help you to eat. They also give you self-confidence. Having gaps in your teeth can make you self-conscious and trigger other dental problems over time. Living with missing teeth can degrade your overall health.

So, do not put off replacing those teeth your dentist removed. Here are some things you should know when looking for teeth replacement around Melbourne and in surrounding areas.

Short term consequences

While you may think replacing missing teeth does not matter, the short-term consequences can include:

• Problems talking
• Feelings of embarrassment when talking or smiling
• Difficulty chewing food
• Extra stress and wear on the other teeth that can weaken them
• Teeth moving to fill the gap left by the missing tooth.

Sinus expansion

When you lose teeth from your upper back jaw, the sinus cavity above the teeth. There is only a thin wall of bone separating the sinus cavity from your mouth. Your teeth protect this cavity. When the bone erodes it is difficult to replace lost teeth. You may need a bone graft to have new teeth implanted later in life.

Changes your facial structure

Your teeth are the support structure for the lower part of your face. When you lose a tooth the gum in the area remodels itself. This is called residual ridge resorption. It refers to when part of your jaw bone melts away after a tooth extraction.

Over time, your facial muscles will sag and will alter the appearance of your face. This can result in a loss of confidence.

Bone loss

Bone loss is the most significant problem associated with not replacing lost teeth. It is also known as bone resorption. It occurs because the when a tooth is removed its roots are no longer embedded in the jaw bone. Once there is a gap and if it is not filled with a replacement tooth, the jaw bone will deteriorate. This can weaken your jaw and cause further tooth loss.

This is not something you want to happen. It does not just affect the area of the lost tooth but nearby teeth as well. Over time it will also affect the shape of your face. Your lips may become thinner and your cheeks appear sunken.

Not replacing lost teeth will cause greater complications and increased costs to fix the problems in your mouth.

Lifestyle impact

Many people have tooth extractions and some people have no teeth at all. You can lose teeth for many reasons. These include gum disease, cancer, wear and tear, an accident, and poor dental hygiene. While there may be nothing you can do to save a tooth, you can replace it. Many people do not understand there are long-term consequences of not replacing their teeth.

Leaving gaping holes in your mouth makes you look older and causes ongoing headaches. They will also cause problems with other teeth. Your other teeth work extra hard to compensate for the missing teeth. This will eventually cause more dental problems.

Reduced ability to eat certain foods

Another risk of not replacing lost teeth, is the ability to only eat certain foods. Depending on where in your mouth the missing teeth are, it can be difficult to eat or bite down on hard foods.

This may work in the short term. But it will put extra stress on your remaining teeth and cause poor health and nutrition. When you do not chew your food properly it can cause digestive issues. While you can avoid eating hard, sticky foods, this can cause more problems in the long run. You need good nutrition to remain healthy and to avoid getting sick.

Get those teeth replaced. Do not compromise your overall health by living with missing teeth. Go to your dentist for teeth replacement in Melbourne and get your teeth fixed. You will feel better.

Lost teeth can make speaking difficult

Missing teeth can impact your speech, especially when missing front teeth. It makes it difficult to clearly pronounce your words. You can slur your words or develop a lisp that makes it difficult for others to understand you. This can get frustrating when you have to keep repeating yourself so people can understand what you say.

Shifting Teeth

Every tooth has a purpose in keeping the rest of your teeth in place correctly in your mouth. When you have a tooth removed, it leaves a gap that the neighbouring teeth will soon move in to fill. Your teeth become crooked and this changes how your teeth fit together in your mouth. This causes even more problems over time. It puts extra stress and pressure on the shifting teeth. This weakens them making them more likely to crack and break.

When there are no neighbouring teeth to the one removed, your other teeth will start moving to fill the gap. Teeth moving around in your mouth destabilises the roots of your teeth that can lead to other mouth problems.

Reduced self-confidence

Missing teeth reduces your self-confidence. Your confidence is important to help you get through everyday life. Having holes in your mouth where your teeth should be can mean you stop socialising with family and friends. You may even avoid going out in public and worry about talking to strangers.

When you have front teeth missing, it affects your smile. You may not want to smile, or you cover your face when speaking so others do not see you have teeth missing in your mouth.

This can be embarrassing and affects your self-esteem. It can even affect your job and the amount of money you earn. And, if gum disease develops in the area, you may have to battle bad breath as well.

Just imagine. The personal cost of not replacing lost teeth can add up. Is living with missing teeth worth this?

Gum disease

With your teeth out of alignment and crooked, it makes harder to clean and floss them. This means you will never get them clean with food stuck in places you cannot reach. Plaque will form on the teeth from bacteria and harden into tartar. When this happens, it becomes gingivitis, which is a mild form of gum disease. If you leave this untreated it can turn into periodontitis, which can become a serious health issue. Gum disease will cause more tooth loss. It is linked to other health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions.

TMJ problems

When teeth shift out of alignment it can cause temporomandibular joint and muscle disorder known as TMJ. The TM joints are on either side of your head and, along with the muscles and ligaments, they help you speak, eat, yawn, and smile.

This is a painful disorder in the joints of the jaw bone and muscles that control how the jaw moves. Losing teeth puts more strain on the jaw bone and causes it to become misaligned. When you have a tooth missing you may even favour one side of your mouth for chewing food, which puts greater strain on your remaining teeth.

What are the options for tooth replacement?

Living with missing teeth will make your life that much more difficult in many ways, let alone negatively affect your overall health. But, it does not have to be this way. There are many options available to replace lost teeth. These include dental implants, dental bridges, and dentures.

Dental implants

Dental implants are like a screw that is an artificial replacement implanted into your jaw bone. It acts as a substitute for the roots of your tooth. They are a stable base for dentures, crowns, and bridges or can replace a single tooth. They are usually made of materials such as titanium. When you have an implant, you do not have to use adhesive to keep false teeth in place.

Dental implants are the perfect option for replacing lost teeth. They help to restore your smile and self-confidence, and they will not affect your health in a negative way. They also reduce the amount of bone loss from your jaw. The titanium post will eventually fuse with the bone making them seem natural.

Dental bridges

Dental bridges are a prosthetic device used to fill the gaps left by one or more missing teeth. Your dentist will mount these on existing teeth or on implants to return your natural smile to you.

There are three types of bridges:

• Cantilever bridges
• Resin bonded bridges
• Traditional bridges

Dentures

You can get full or partial dentures to replace lost teeth. They attach to your remaining teeth and have wire clasps to anchor the dentures into your mouth so they do not move. Your dentist will make them look natural so no one will know you are wearing dentures.

Contact us today

Now you know the problems of living with missing teeth, make an appointment with GC DENTAL. Find out what options you have to restore your smile and confidence.