Dentistry has made some phenomenal advances, but around the world, missing teeth is still a common problem; the average adult is missing at least one of their own teeth.
While health care workers and dentists everywhere are tackling this problem through preventive care and education, it’s equally important to restore the smiles of patients with missing teeth to ensure their ongoing oral health.
The team at Feldmanis Family Dentistry is your source for flawless cosmetic dentistry in Eugene, Oregon. Together, we can complete the smile that not only instills confidence, but can be the key difference in longterm oral health.
Missing teeth and your oral health
Losing a tooth can happen in all kinds of ways, from a high school sports injury to decay. In some cases, an adult tooth simply does not erupt in childhood!
However it came about, an absent tooth can cause trouble. If the missing tooth is at the front of your mouth, it can affect speech and eating. Even at the back of your mouth, an absent molar can still impact how well you can chew.
Missing teeth are also notorious for having a devastating effect on patient confidence. Our smiles are one of the first things we present about ourselves, and a “gap” in that smile can make a difference both in how we are perceived by others– and how we perceive ourselves. The psychological importance of a healthy smile is one of the biggest reasons for maintaining it!
Bone loss
A bigger problem that dentists worry about is gradual bone loss which can occur as a result of missing teeth– particularly when several teeth are missing in the same place. How does this happen?
To understand this, we need to look at how bone maintains itself in the first place. Bone responds to small stressors– like the pull of muscles, for example– with growth. In the jaw, this stimulation comes from teeth, whose movement within the periodontal ligament attached to your jaw bone, is the encouragement that your oral bones need to keep remodeling, reshaping, and remaining healthy and strong.
Without this stimulation, your jaw bone can actually begin to erode and shrink– the bone isn’t receiving its small stressors, so it thinks it isn’t needed, and it resorbs.
But there are great solutions
Feldmanis Family Dentistry, your source for cosmetic dentistry in Eugene, takes an assertive approach to missing teeth– we don’t wait for any secondary problems to occur! We work collaboratively to find the solution that fits best for the individual. Some options that we offer are:
- Bridges. These anchor to teeth that are next to the absent tooth, and can be fixed or removable.
- Dentures. This is a good option if you are missing most of your teeth
- Implants. Implants are most similar in function to a natural tooth.
Call us today to schedule a consultation on how we can restore your smile!
Photo Credit: Nathan O’Nions via Compfight cc
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