Is It Okay to Forget About a Missing Tooth

Although some people don’t mind having a gap from a missing tooth in their mouth and can get on perfectly well after they have lost a tooth. There are some important facts to understand.

When you don’t do anything about a missing tooth/Gap

it leads to crowding in your mouth and leaning teeth,
the longer you ignore that gap, the more difficult it will be for your dentist to put things right.

If you lose a tooth and don’t seek expert advice, it could eventually lead to several serious issues, ranging from aesthetic changes through to serious health concerns.

The problems that can arise from a missing tooth

Resorbed Jaw Bone-this is one of the more dramatic issues that could arise from a missing tooth. Usually, your jaw bone is continually stimulated by chewing and biting, but when a tooth is lost, this stimulation stops. This can cause a loss of the part of your jawbone that contains the roots of your teeth (the alveolar bone) and as a result, gum tissue gradually recedes, exposing the roots. The bone below the alveolar bone begins to resorb, and your face shape, including your chin and cheeks, can change. It can even affect your ability to chew and speak. The whole process can take many years but can be painful for patients, resulting in highly sensitive teeth and regular headaches.
When you lose a tooth, your adjacent teeth often drift into the space that has been vacated, causing leaning and crowding.
The teeth may tip or rotate, as they don’t have the support of the tooth next to them. This can affect your bite and can even put strain on your jaw joint, causing you to experience unnecessary pain.
Periodontal problems.
Since your mouth is uneven you will have increased strain on that one side and increases the chances of problems arising there.
The tooth or teeth opposite the missing tooth may hyper-erupt; this means they grow out of the gum too much. This is another issue that can lead to periodontal disease.
Losing a tooth can affect your speech – and your smile.

So what can you do?

The best thing to do is to book an appointment as soon as possible to see Dr Saul Mendelsohn and he can go through all the options. The sooner you make the appointment to loosing your tooth the more options and more successful outcome you will have for replacing your missing tooth.

Some solution may include