Whether you've lost a tooth due to an accident, an oral health problem or other reasons, gaps in your smile can affect your appearance and self-esteem, but the problems don't always end there. Missing teeth can affect your ability to eat and speak normally, cause your other teeth to go out of alignment and lead to shrinking of the jaw. The more teeth are lost, the more serious these problems can get.
Read more about the effects of tooth loss and why it's important to replace missing teeth as early as possible to prevent these problems.
Eating difficulties
Your teeth are vital for biting, chewing and grinding food. If you have missing teeth, your other teeth will have to work harder, which could cause premature tooth wear and sensitivity. Avoiding foods that are hard to eat may lead to nutritional deficiencies or other dietary problems.
Speech difficulties
Teeth help you to talk normally. Gaps between teeth can affect how your speech sounds, with certain words producing lisping or whistling sounds. Some people may learn to adjust to the change, but replacing a tooth can help restore normal speech.
Shifting teeth
Your teeth support each other, and losing one or more teeth can lead those surrounding them to go crooked, which may require orthodontic treatment if not addressed early. Teeth on either side can lean into the gap and become misaligned, which can affect eating, trap bacteria and make the teeth harder to clean, increasing your risk of oral health problems.
Shrinking jaw
The teeth and jaws support each other, and when teeth are lost, the underlying jaw bone is no longer stimulated. This can lead to bone resorption and the jaw shrinking over time, especially if multiple teeth are missing.
Appearance
The impact of missing teeth that most people are aware of is how they affect your appearance. Wide gaps can affect people's self-confidence and willingness to smile. If the jaw bone deteriorates, this can also cause a prematurely aged appearance that can be avoided when teeth are replaced in time.
How can I replace a missing tooth?
Whether you're missing a single tooth or multiple teeth, your dentist will recommend having them replaced with natural-looking prosthetic teeth. This restores their look and function and can avoid complications of missing teeth such as teeth shifting and bone resorption in the jaw.
The options for replacing teeth include:
- Dental implants – considered the gold standard for teeth replacement, implants are titanium posts placed in the jaw covered by a crown, bridge or denture. Implants cost more than the alternatives, but they are also the longest lasting with the strongest biting forces.
- Dental bridge – replaces one or more teeth in a row, attached by crowns fitted over the neighbouring teeth.
- Dentures – removable dentures require daily care, but they can be a more affordable option.
Teeth replacement in Brisbane
If you're missing any teeth, our experienced dentists at Swish Dental can discuss your options and help you decide what's the best teeth replacement solution for you. Call our Everton Park clinic on (07) 3355 1422 or our Mitchelton clinic on (07) 3354 3341, or book online.