Before they experienced it, many tooth loss patients already recognized the threat that losing a tooth could pose to their oral health. Many people even realize some of the more common causes behind it, such as gum disease (the most frequent cause). However, the specific ways in which tooth loss occurs and how it impacts the many different aspects of your oral health aren’t always as well-known. Today, we take a closer look at tooth loss, and what you should know about the potential consequences it could have on your oral health if not prevented or addressed promptly.
How can you lose a permanent tooth?
Adult teeth are commonly referred to as permanent teeth, which is a hint that, ideally, they’re meant to last for life after they’ve developed. However, that hint can be lost in the fact that tooth loss occurs so frequently, affecting a majority of people by the time they reach their middle ages. The truth is that, while healthy adult teeth have the potential to last for life, they can be negatively impacted, lost, or have to be extracted for a wide variety of reasons. These can include an extreme infection of your tooth structure, a disease in the gum tissues that support the root, or other severe oral health condition.
How does the rest of your smile react to it?
When you experience tooth loss, the loss of the tooth is a problem all on its own. That’s especially true if you lost the tooth due to a chronic oral health condition, like gum disease. However, once you’ve lost the tooth, its absence can have several subsequent consequences on the rest of your oral health, including your remaining healthy teeth. For example, losing a tooth creates a gap in your smile that not only affects its appearance, but also the balance of your bite every time you bite and chew. This imbalance can lead to increased risks of tooth damage, cause your remaining teeth to shift out of alignment, and make restoring your smile a more complicated process.
What happens when the root is gone?
The specific effects of tooth loss are among the most common misunderstood aspects of it, and largely involve your oral health’s response to the loss of the tooth’s root. The most notable purpose of a tooth root is to support the tooth’s crown, which is responsible for biting and chewing your food, as well as filling out your smile’s appearance. However, healthy teeth roots are also vital to maintaining the health and integrity of your jawbone structure, which can lose stimulation, mass, and density as a result of missing teeth roots.
Learn more about tooth loss and your smile
You might know what tooth loss is, but even if you’ve experienced it, you might not be fully aware of what it could mean for your smile. To learn more, schedule an appointment or initial consultation by calling Advanced Dental Concepts in Auburn Hills, MI, today at (248) 852-1820.
