A number of contributing factors like decay, trauma, gum disease, or congenital defects can lead to missing permanent teeth. Regardless of what led to the dental loss, it's important to replace lost teeth for a number of reasons. In this blog post, we'll outline the benefits of replacing lost permanent teeth so you can avoid the unwanted consequences of missing teeth.

For Orthodontic Reasons

Each tooth places a pivotal role in your orthodontic health, and when you have all of your teeth they keep each other in position and stable. Losing just one tooth can cause other teeth to shift or become unstable, causing problems with your bite (that is, the way your top teeth and bottom teeth line up when you bite together). Losing a tooth toward the back of your mouth can eventually cause gaps or crowding in the front, for example, which patients often don't realize until it's too late.

To Improve or Maintain Your Confidence

Many adults find that missing teeth affect their speech and self-confidence, making it difficult to smile or laugh with friends, speak publically, or enjoy themselves in social settings. Replacing a missing tooth can ensure you're comfortable smiling, laughing, speaking, and engaging in social, professional, and other public settings.

To Support Adequate Nutrition

Missing teeth can impact what you're able to eat. Wherever a tooth is missing, there is no contact between a top tooth and a bottom tooth in that spot, making it difficult to chew and in many cases, making it easier for food to get caught. As you lose more teeth, you may find yourself avoiding entire food groups like fruit or meat due to difficulty biting or chewing those foods. Replacing missing teeth can ensure you're able to eat the foods that fuel your body without limitations.

To Avoid TMJ Disorder (and Pain)

Missing teeth can change the way the jaw aligns at rest and when chewing, leading to a painful disorder called temporomandibular joint disorder or TMJ. Replacing missing teeth before pain begins can prevent the sometimes debilitating symptoms of TMJ from settling in.

To Support Bone and Tissue Health

In the area of a missing tooth, bone and gum tissue recedes over time. This deterioration can eventually impact your jaw or the health of adjacent teeth, leading to decay or subsequent tooth loss and the expense and unwanted effects associated with it. Replacing a missing tooth with an implant actually stops the process of deterioration; your bone and tissue will form around the dental implant, contributing to the health of your jaw and adjacent teeth.

To Serve as a Foundation for Bridges or Partials

In some cases, when a patient is missing several teeth, replacing a few teeth is imperative to ensure there is a foundation for a bridge or partial denture. This gives the prosthetic something permanent to attach to so you can eat and speak confidently. For many patients, a combination of dental implants and prosthetics can be a better solution than full dentures. To learn more about replacing lost teeth or get started on your journey to a healthier smile, connect with our expert team. Find your local Ideal Dental office today to schedule a visit with our dentists. You can also learn more about our dental implant services.