Why is Replacing Missing Teeth Important?

We’re often asked by patients whether replacing missing teeth is important. The answer is a resounding, “YES!” Missing teeth affect so much more than just the appearance of your smile.

As soon as your body detects a missing tooth, it absorbs the minerals in your jaw to use elsewhere. This increases your risk of further tooth loss, jawbone deterioration, and eventual facial collapse.

Here’s why else replacing missing teeth is essential to maintaining good oral health.

Improve the Appearance of Your Smile

Your smile says a lot about your personality, which is why our dentist offers the dental implant procedure and other tooth replacement options. If you’ve ever felt embarrassed of your smile, you owe it to yourself to schedule a consultation with our dentist. A missing front tooth can especially make it difficult to smile, talk, or meet people for the first time without feeling self-conscious.

Stop Further Tooth Loss

Each tooth in your mouth provides support for the teeth around it. When one tooth is missing, the teeth surrounding it have nothing to lean on and will tilt toward the open space. This often leads to tooth decay and even further tooth loss.

Maintain Healthy Jawbone Tissue

Your body is able to detect when you lose a tooth and will start to absorb the minerals in your jaw to use elsewhere. As a result, the area of the jaw around the empty socket will start to deteriorate. The patient may eventually experience facial collapse, which changes the shape of the face and makes dentures difficult to wear.

Unlike other tooth replacement options, dental implants are placed in the jaw and act like natural tooth roots. This gives jawbone tissue the stimulation it needs to be healthy.

Eat Your Favorite Foods

Missing teeth make eating the foods we love difficult and even painful. If you limit your diet to only what your teeth can handle, you miss out on many important nutrients. Our dentist can help you explore your tooth replacement options (including dental implants) so you never have to worry about missing out on healthy foods.

Conclusion

As soon as you replace a missing tooth, you improve the overall health of your mouth. The space left by a missing tooth negatively affects your nutrition, the surrounding teeth, and your jawbone. Replacing a missing tooth with a dental implant benefits the look and function of your mouth while contributing to your overall oral health.

Whether you need just one or all of your teeth replaced, dental implants provide a solution for your mouth that can last a lifetime with proper care. With dental implants, you can eat the foods you love without worrying about pain and discomfort. Moreover, by inserting titanium rods into the hollow gaps where your teeth are missing, dental implants prevent your natural teeth from shifting and your jawbone from deteriorating.

Request an Appointment With Dr. Habecker

Dr. Brenton Habecker is a family dentist in Holland, MI, who will be able to determine if you’re a candidate for dental implants. To request an appointment, call Macatawa Smiles at (616) 396-7524.

This blog post has been updated.