When oral bacteria threaten the integrity of your teeth, a number of concerns become clear. First, will this impact your oral function, and if so, how much? What if it leads to tooth loss? These are just a few of the many questions that come to mind when dealing with decay or infection, and truthfully this only scratches the surface. In fact, the process of your structures becoming completely compromised can impact your overall health in several ways, depending on the level of treatment you seek. In today’s blog, your Leawood, KS dentist explains the science behind compromission as well as what steps you should consider when handling your oral health.
The Impact on Function
One of the very first inquiries that come to mind when dealing with severely infected structures involves how it may impact your oral function. Indeed, daily tasks such as biting, chewing, and eating are made possible through the help of strong teeth, and when even so much as one structure is compromised, you can begin to experience significant difficulty. For instance, each tooth is comprised of a crown that helps you break apart food and a root that helps your crown absorb the pressure of your bite. An injured tooth may not be able to take on as much of the pressure distribution as it did previously, thus causing your bite to readjust in order to accommodate the weaker structure.
Weakened or Painful Structures
Other concerns that arise involve sharp or shooting pains, as well as overall sensitivity. Similar to the way you can’t walk on a broken leg, your teeth can become injured to the point that they are no longer able to help perform daily tasks. What’s more, decay can make simple functions such as consuming hot or cold foods or beverages painful and inconvenient. If you suspect you are affected by an injured tooth, please do not hesitate to reach out to our team to learn your options today.
How It Affects Other Teeth
Arguably one of the biggest impacts a compromised tooth has is how it contributes to tooth loss and rapid rates of infection. You might think that once a structure is beyond saving, it makes more sense to have it fall out on its own as opposed to having it extracted.
The problem with this process, however, is that the infection still remains and can actually spread to surrounding teeth. This is why people who lose a structure to infection experience an increased likelihood of losing adjacent teeth the same way. In other words, to best preserve your other teeth and overall oral health, sometimes an extraction is necessary.
Learn More Today
Contact Dreem Dentistry in Leawood, KS by calling 913-681-5500 to learn more or schedule your next dental visit with our team today.
