If you can’t see the missing tooth, does it truly matter? The answer is: Yes! Just because people don’t see it everyday, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect your overall oral health.
A surprising number of the U.S. population (some 70% of people) may be missing a tooth. This missing tooth is usually one of the back molars.
The real problem with tooth loss isn’t cosmetic appearance. Although aesthetics are certainly a factor, the problem to consider is the bone loss that comes with a missing tooth.
The alveolar bone surrounds the teeth in the mouth. This bone requires regular stimulation to stay healthy, caused by tiny stresses transmitted by the teeth. Without this stimulation, the bone gradually erodes away.
What happens when bone is lost from the body? The ability to chew and speak regularly can be impaired. Plus, the contours of the face and lips change. This often causes an individual to look somewhat more aged. Eventually, the bite may fundamentally fail. All of these failures edge on a person’s self-confidence.
In the first year, tooth loss can cause a 25% decrease in bone width, increasing more in following years.
There is a sure-fire way to keep tooth loss from becoming bone loss; a dental implant. Implants become fused to the living bone. They look and act like your regular old teeth and will have you feeling like your regular self in no time. Call Dr. Mark Reichman for you dental implant surgery today!
