If you are missing a few teeth in your smile, it can affect much more than how people perceive you. Patients who are are at increased risk for poor nutrition, tooth decay, and even jaw deterioration.
To prevent serious oral health issues, we recommend asking an experienced Troy dentist if you are a candidate for dental implants or other dental restorations. In this blog post, we will go over how dental implants can improve your smile and overall dental health.
Improve Nutrition
When you are missing a tooth, it can be difficult eating your favorite foods (and other healthy foods). When this happens, you may restrict your diet to only those foods that are least painful to eat with the teeth you have left. Sometimes this means people aren’t able to eat nutrient-rich foods they need to be healthy.
It’s important to understand that your oral health is part of a larger system. When you are unable to eat nutrient-rich foods, it can negatively affect your bones. It’s important to maintain good oral health because it can reflect the health of the rest of your body.
It’s not uncommon for people who are missing one or more teeth to suffer from and jaw deterioration resulting from poor diets. If your oral health is poor it increases the likelihood that bacteria may travel to other areas of the body.
Stop Tooth Decay and Further Tooth Loss
Your teeth are held in place by the roots under the surface of your gums and from the support of your surrounding teeth. This means that when you lose a tooth, you also lose part of what was supporting nearby teeth. Teeth that have nothing to lean against begin to tilt toward the open space and can even become loose over time.
Shifted teeth are also more vulnerable to , which can lead to further tooth loss. To prevent subsequent damage to your smile, we recommend consulting with a knowledgeable dentist to see if you are a candidate for dental implants.
Prevent Jaw Deterioration
When you bite down, the pressure stimulates your tooth root which in turn stimulates the bone cells in your jaw bone. However, when you lose a tooth, your jaw bone loses this stimulation and begins to deteriorate. In other words, your jaw bone needs pressure from tooth roots in order to remain healthy.
The only way to stop jaw deterioration after losing a tooth is to fill the empty space with a dental implant. The longer you wait to start the dental implant process, however, the more difficult it will be to repair your smile. In severe cases, jawbone loss can lead to jaw shrinkage and facial collapse which makes it more difficult to eat and speak correctly.
Whether you need one or several , you may want to talk to your dentist about dental implants. They are a serious commitment, which is why it’s important you have all the facts so you can make an informed decision about your oral health.
Request an Appointment
If you are interested in learning more about our dental implant service, please feel free to schedule an appointment at our at (248) 528-2270. Dr. Kelly M. Giera DDS strives to help patients achieve their best smiles by offering her expertise in dental implant procedures.
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This blog post has been updated.
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