You don’t have to be 70 years old for your teeth to start falling out. A person can lose teeth at any point in their life. Even though the risk level may vary with age, it is still possible to have missing teeth at different stages in your life. A child can lose teeth in a sports injury, and an adult can lose them due to a lack of professional dental care.
Missing teeth can cause various problems, from the inability to eat a particular food to decrease confidence. Luckily, there are solutions for missing teeth at almost any age. Dental implants are among the most common methods to reform your smile and give you back your spirit.
Reasons for Tooth Loss
An individual can lose a tooth at several points in their life. For example, children lose teeth when they are growing a new set, seniors lose them due to old age, and some may lose teeth in their mid-life. While some teeth loss is natural, some are alarming. If you lost a tooth and are unaware why, visit a dentist in Hamilton, Ontario, who can examine the issue.
Until then, here are some reasons for tooth loss:
- Cavities – If your teeth develop holes due to bacterial infection, it turns into tooth decay. If left untreated, it can destroy the tooth and lead to the removal of the tooth.
- Gum Disease – It begins with bacteria and inflammation and slowly destroys gum tissues and jawbone underneath, resulting in no tooth support, causing them to fall out.
- Physical injury or accident – Physical activity or accidents can lead to tooth loss due to sudden trauma.
- Smoking – This habit weakness the immune system, resulting in weaker teeth, causing tooth loss.
- Lack of Care – Not taking care of your teeth consistently by brushing and visiting the doctor can cause oral health problems that you are unaware of, leading to tooth loss.
Problems with Missing Teeth
Losing your teeth can hinder your confidence, but that’s not all it does.
- Bone loss – It’s not only your arms and legs that rely on the functionality of bones. Your mouth requires strong and dense jawbones to hold your teeth in place. Missing a tooth can lead to bone loss in your mouth.
- Risk for more teeth loss – Your teeth support each other, so losing one can have a domino effect on others.
- Biting problems – If you lose a tooth, your other teeth may shift, changing your regular biting pattern, leading to a jaw disorder.
- Oral infection spread – Missing teeth may expose your mouth to infections that could spread to the rest of your body and result in more significant problems.
- Speech issues – Missing teeth can make it difficult to pronounce certain words and lead to slurring or spitting while speaking.
- Chewing problem – It may become tough to chew certain foods if you are missing teeth, and you may have to cut out healthy foods such as apples.
What is a Dental Implant?
A dental implant surgery replaces tooth roots with metal, screwlike posts and places artificial teeth that look real. It replaces any damaged or missing teeth. There are alternatives to the surgery, but it depends on the issue you are facing. Look for places that offer dental implants in Hamilton to figure out what option is best for you.
Here are some types of dental implants to consider.
Endosteal Implants
These are the most common type of dental implants and require a healthy jawbone for placement. These are placeholder posts shaped like small screws inserted into the jawbone where the false teeth are fitted. You will need to have good oral health, a fully grown jawbone, and healthy gum tissues to be eligible for this procedure.
Subperiosteal Implants
These implants are an alternative to endosteal for those who do not have healthy jawbone. They are placed above the jawbone and under the gum. A metal frame is placed under the gum, and the gum heals around the edge, holding it in place. The false teeth are then fixed into the poles.
Zygomatic Implants
This procedure is only done as the least common type of implant if you do not have enough jawbone for endosteal implants. This implant is secured in the cheekbone instead of the jawbone.
All-on-4 Implants
This method is different from the above as it uses computer technology to determine the best areas to insert the implants. Four dental implants are placed in bones, and the dentist will place a temporary set on the same day. However, you have to wait for a few months before a permanent collection of teeth placement.
Bridges
A bridge is another method to replace missing teeth. It is not an implant but has similar functionality. It is usually made up of an artificial tooth fused between two crowns. There are four different types of bridges such as traditional, cantilever, Maryland, and implant-supported.
Bridges may need to be replaced every 5 to 15 years, whereas implants are permanent and do not require any changes once fixed.
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Benefits of Dental Implants
In addition to achieving a fuller smile, getting dental implants can improve your life in other ways too.
- Low impact on other teeth – You can get dental implants to ensure that the teeth around them are not affected. So, even if you miss one tooth, you won’t have to modify the ones it is surrounded by.
- Implements natural speech – You won’t have to worry about the speech problems caused by missing teeth because dental implants fix those issues. Restores bite force – Since dental implants are secured into your jaw with a titanium post, it allows you to use the same power as you would with your natural teeth. So, you can eat comfortably again.
- Restores bite force – Since dental implants are secured into your jaw with a titanium post, it allows you to use the same power as you would with your natural teeth. So, you can eat comfortably again.
- Improves oral health – Since implants allow easier access between teeth, it positively impacts your oral hygiene.
- Raises confidence – The best part of all is that you can go about your life without worrying about what others will think.
Dealing with a missing tooth can be challenging, but luckily, there are solutions to the problem. Whether you are missing one tooth or more, visit Dentistry on 7th at your earliest convenience so that our experts can guide you towards the right path.