Consequences of Missing Permanent Teeth
Millions of people in America have experienced the loss of one or more of their permanent teeth. Whether caused by poor oral care, injury, old age or professional extraction, tooth loss affects every aspect of your daily life in a number of negative ways.
Immediate Consequences of Missing Teeth
A person with missing teeth, regardless of the extraction site, is immediately aware of sensitivity and pain in and around the socket from which it the tooth was lost. Eating, drinking and even speaking can prove incredibly uncomfortable as well as difficult.
Reluctance to smile, laugh or speak in social and professional settings can lead to relationship troubles and lost friends. If the area where the teeth were extracted is highly visible, the individual may find it difficult to feel confident and comfortable in a business environment. The inability to speak clearly and coherently may even result in the loss of employment.
Long-term Effects of Missing Teeth
Every day after a tooth has been removed, the teeth that surround it shift slightly. Over a period of time, this slow process of shifting results in visibly tilted or crooked teeth. The bite continues to change, making eating and speaking properly a challenge faced many times per day.
If a large number of teeth are missing, particularly in the front of the mouth, the person’s profile can change dramatically. Due to bone loss and loss of muscle tone in the face, the chin and cheeks begin to sag without support. This slack appearance serves to make the individual seem years, if not decades, older than their biological age. In severe cases, only correction of the missing teeth and jaw surgery can restore a look of normality.
Nutritional health is another long-term consideration for people with missing teeth. When the variety of foods that can be eaten is narrowed substantially, the body doesn’t typically receive the vital nutrients it needs to function properly. Vitamin and protein supplements must be taken to ensure continued health and well being.
The psychological impact of missing teeth, over an extended period of time, is substantial. Many people feel that they are better off staying home and out of public, even on important occasions like weddings or family reunions.
Implants: A Permanent Solution
Over the past decade, the use of dentures has steadily declined as patients opt for dental implants, the increasingly preferred method of tooth replacement. Implants look and feel exactly like natural teeth and they are permanently affixed to the bone of the jaw. This allows for natural speaking, freedom to eat a wider selection of foods and the ability to smile with genuine confidence.
Face and Jaw Surgery Center serves all of North Dakota and North West Minnesota including Moorhead, MN and East Grand Forks, MN
Bismarck, ND office
Fargo, ND office
Minot, ND office
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