If you’ve lost one or more teeth in Baltimore, you may be wondering if it’s worth replacing them. Even with dental insurance, replacing missing teeth isn’t always cheap. It can also require multiple visits to the dentist.
So is it really worth the investment? The answer is “yes!” And in this blog from Waterfront Dental, we’ll discuss just a few of the reasons why you should replace your missing teeth ASAP. Let’s get started.
First, losing one or more teeth can cause the nearby teeth to shift. Your teeth all support each other, so when you lose one, the nearby teeth may slide toward the empty socket. This can ruin the alignment of your teeth and your bite, and contribute to other oral health issues.
A similar thing may happen to the tooth on the opposite arch of teeth. For example, if you’ve lost a lower tooth, the upper tooth that usually makes contact with the missing tooth may start to extrude further from the gums, leading to other oral health problems.
If you have one or more missing teeth, particularly front teeth, you may feel self-conscious about your appearance when you smile, laugh, speak, or even eat around other people. Even among friends and family, you may feel bad about your appearance.
Tooth loss has an unfortunate social stigma. But replacing your missing teeth will protect your oral health and help restore your confidence, too. You’ll restore your natural smile and feel great about your appearance once again.
For example, if you’ve lost a few front teeth, you may have trouble biting into foods like apples or tearing bits off of a piece of steak. Or if you have some missing rear teeth, it may be hard to chew fibrous vegetables and other chewy foods. This can make it harder to maintain a healthy diet and eat your favorite foods.
Once you’ve lost a tooth, the bone underneath the missing tooth will start to weaken. You can lose up to 25% of the bone bass within a year of losing your tooth. This is called “bone resorption.” It happens because the tooth is no longer stimulating your jaw with the force of biting and chewing.
Over time, bone loss can weaken your jaw. It may also affect your appearance, especially if you have a few adjacent missing teeth. The only way to prevent bone loss is with a dental implant. Implants function like artificial teeth, and help stimulate and preserve your jaw bone tissue. This preserves your jaw bone and keeps your mouth healthy.
Dr. Dawn Merguerian is an experienced restorative dentist in Baltimore. Whether you’ve lost one tooth or multiple teeth, she can help you explore your options for tooth replacement, and find an option that works for your needs and your budget. The sooner you get help, the sooner you’ll be able to smile, chew, and speak with confidence. Contact us online or give us a call at (410) 505-0551 to schedule an appointment today.
