How Missing Teeth Can Change Your Life
Clackamas, OR
 Statistics show that approximately 20 percent of adults are missing one or more teeth. If you're part of this statistic, or even if you're not, it's important to understand the profound ways that missing teeth can impact your life.
What Are the Effects of Missing Teeth?
When you lose a tooth, it can have a profound effect not only on your smile, but also on your overall health. The aftermath is not merely cosmetic or about aesthetics, it bridges to some serious oral health concerns.
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Oral Health Issues: When a tooth goes missing, it leaves a gap which can lead to a series of oral health problems. Over time, the surrounding teeth begin to shift to fill this gap, leading to misalignment issues. This not only affects your bite but makes proper oral hygiene more difficult, increasing your risk of developing cavities and gum disease.
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Chewing and Digestion: Our teeth play a vital role in the food digestion process, starting with the act of chewing. Missing a tooth might make it harder to chew certain types of food. This could lead to less efficient digestion, potentially resulting in gastrointestinal problems.
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Speech Difficulties: The empty space from a missing tooth can also influence your ability to speak correctly. Certain sounds rely on the teeth to form accurately. Hence, missing teeth can result in difficulty with speech.
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Self-esteem and Confidence: Visible gaps in your smile can reduce your self-confidence and make you self-conscious about your appearance. You may find yourself smiling less or avoiding social situations altogether.
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Risk of Additional Tooth Loss
A gap in the teeth can gradually affect the structural integrity of your mouth. Without the support of that missing tooth, adjacent teeth and your jawbone may weaken over time, potentially leading to additional tooth loss. |
How Dental Implants Can Help with Missing Teeth
Dental implants can help with the struggle of missing teeth. Dental implants can provide a functional, reliable, and long-term solution for missing teeth. Dental implants are not just synthetic teeth. They consist of titanium posts that are surgically placed into your jawbone. Sometimes ziroconia is used. Over time, your bone grows around the implant, creating a firm foundation for a realistic prosthetic tooth. This means they're not just for looks, but dental implants also restore your ability to bite, chew, and speak properly.
Living with missing teeth often means adjusting your diet to accommodate the inability to chew certain foods. With dental implants, there are no more food restrictions. Hard, crunchy, or chewy foods that were once off limits no longer need to be avoided.
Let Us Restore Your Missing Teeth at Sunnyside Dentistry
Missing teeth can generate a domino effect, triggering an array of health and lifestyle changes. It's important to consult our dentists immediately if you're facing this issue. They can advise on the best teeth replacement options, like implants or bridges, to save your smile and your health. Contact us today at (503) 451-5104 to schedule your appointment with us.
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