Sciota, Pennsylvania
It is estimated that 178 million Americans have lost at least one permanent tooth. Are you one of them? If so, it’s important to have that tooth replaced and restore your smile. Read on as, today on the blog, we explore four reasons that you should let your dentist in Sciota replace that missing tooth.
Your other teeth are susceptible to shift and become loose
A missing permanent tooth creates a hole in your smile and the other teeth have a proclivity to shift and fill that gap. In shifting, the surrounding teeth may become crooked and you may experience a misaligned bite. It is also more difficult to properly clean crooked teeth, which makes you more vulnerable to issues such as tooth decay and gum disease, both of which can lead to tooth loss.
Changes in your appearance
When you lose a tooth, the section of jawbone that was underneath loses the constant stimulation that came from the root of the tooth. By losing this stimulation from the tooth root, the supporting bone structure inevitably begins to weaken due to a process known as resorption, in which cells in that bone structure are reallocated for use elsewhere in the body. The end result? Your face may develop a sunken-in appearance that makes you appear older than you are. The only means of tooth replacement that prevents this deterioration is a dental implant.
Negative impact upon your self-confidence
Losing a tooth may impact your ability to speak, which can make you self-conscious in both professional and social situations. Moreover, having that hole in your smile can hinder your self-confidence. According to multiple studies, tooth loss may lead to both intense emotional distress and dramatically lower mental well-being. Sometimes, people who are living with tooth loss may limit or totally cease their socializing due to the functional limitations they experience from their missing teeth.
Receding gums
When your gums recede, the gum tissue pulls away from your teeth, exposing the roots and making them more susceptible to damage as well as decay. Gum recession also increases the risk of gum disease, a bacterial infection in the gums that begins with gingivitis – symptomized by your gums that are red, swollen, tender or bleed easily, especially when someone eats, brushes or flosses. If the infection progresses to its advanced stage, which is known as periodontitis, then permanent damage has been done to your teeth and mouth.
Restorative dentistry in Sciota, Pennsylvania
If you’ve been living with a lost tooth or several missing teeth, Quiet Valley Dental is here to help. We offer several methods of tooth replacement, including a dental bridge and a dental implant. If you’ve experienced significant tooth loss, we also offer the All-on-4 implant system, which can replace an entire arch of teeth in a single treatment, with the prosthetic anchored by four implants strategically placed in the mouth. To find out more about our methods of restorative dentistry or any of the other treatments we offer, schedule a consultation at our office in Sciota by calling (570) 992-7040 or contacting us online.
