As one of the most significant things that can affect your smile, tooth loss is often a worry for many patients. Even those who haven’t experienced it yet may dread the day that it occurs, especially if they believe it’s inevitable. However, the good news is that they may not have to deal with it, and if you have experienced tooth loss, you can still protect your smile from many of the most devastating consequences that can occur from it. Today, we examine how.
Before you lose one or more teeth
Prevention is the name of the game for most of your dental health care, including your daily dental hygiene routine. If you haven’t experienced tooth loss, then there’s a good chance that preventing it is still a highly possible. The secret is to understand the things that often lead to tooth loss, understand which of those risks you’re most susceptible to, and taking steps to get ahead of them. For example, a majority of people who lose one or more teeth do so because of the progression of severe gum disease. During its progression, the disease systematically erodes the gum tissues and jawbone structure that support your teeth roots. Without this support, your dental ridge can retain all of your teeth, and you may lose or have to extract one or more of them if you allow gum disease to get out of control. Preventing conditions like gum disease from forming takes diligent care in your hygiene routine, as does preventing other risks that could lead to the loss of one or more teeth.
If you’ve already experienced tooth loss
If you’ve already lost one or more teeth, it might seem like losing more is inevitable, as well. It isn’t, but the conditions that could cause you to lose more teeth may be. When you lose a single tooth, the loss of the root that supported it has a distinct impact on your jawbone structure. It diminishes the overall amount of stimulation the bone structure receives when you bite and chew, and in turn, your body sends your jawbone fewer minerals and nutrients. Stimulation and nutrition are key to your jawbone maintaining its own health and integrity, as well as the health of the teeth that it supports. Fortunately, you may be able to reestablish this stimulation by replacing the roots of your lost teeth with one or more dental implant posts.
Learn how to protect your smile from tooth loss
Whether you’ve already lost one or more teeth, or want to improve your chances of preventing it from ever occurring, there several ways to protect your smile from tooth loss. To learn more, schedule an appointment with us by calling Dreem Dentistry in Leawood, KS, today at 913-681-5500.
