If left untreated for a long period of time, a single or multiple missing teeth can have serious repercussions on your appearance, health and self-esteem.
What is resorption?
Your teeth are the foundation of your jawbone, supporting your face and its structure. When you chew and bite, you stimulate the jawbone which is necessary to maintaining the upper and lower jaw bone structures. So, when you lose a tooth (or several teeth) this structure is compromised. During the first year after losing a tooth, you can experience up to 25% of bone loss and this gradually continues year upon year. Once bone loss commences, the mouth begin to collapse into the face and the chin appears more pointed, with deep wrinkles forming round the area. This can be a huge source of low self-esteem, as these combined changes contribute to rendering the face less youthful-looking.
What are my options for replacing a missing tooth?
The next best thing to a real tooth is a dental implant, which replaces your missing tooth’s root and becoming a natural part of you. This is because the implant fuses with your jawbone, and an artificial restoration (such as a crown) is placed over the top, offering incredible cosmetic results. Dental implants can be maintained in the same way as a normal tooth – they are non-invasive and you simply need to keep up a regimental brushing and flossing routine (as you would with the rest of your natural teeth). Unlike dentures, implants are fixed and allow you to eat the foods you love and do not affect your speech.
Unfortunately replacing several missing teeth with full or partial dentures does not tackle the loss of alveolar bone as they apply only a small amount of chewing pressure on the bone – in contrast to normal teeth, this is around 10%.
You can read more about dental implants and their benefits as well as the consequences of having a missing tooth here.
If you would like more information about your options for replacing a missing tooth, please do not hesitate to contact us and we can arrange a consultation for you with one of our experienced dentists. We look forward to welcoming you at Cliftonville.