Many people are terrified of losing their adult teeth. This is for good reason, but god forbid this happens to you, don’t live in fear. There’s help.
Often, when people lose a tooth, especially in the back of their mouth, they try to ignore it. But just because people don’t see it everyday, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect your overall oral health.
A surprising number of the U.S. population (some 70% of people) are considered to be missing a tooth. This missing tooth is usually one of the back molars.
The alveolar bone surrounds the teeth in the mouth. This bone requires regular stimulation to stay healthy, caused by tiny stresses transmitted by the teeth. Without this stimulation, the bone gradually erodes away.
The real problem with tooth loss isn’t cosmetic appearance. Although aesthetics are certainly a factor, the problem to consider is the bone loss that comes with a missing tooth. There’s a lot of factors to think about when dealing with a lost tooth and how to go about thinking about surgery and self-care.
What happens when bone is lost from the body? The ability to chew and speak regularly can be impaired. Plus, the contours of the face and lips change. This often causes an individual to look somewhat more aged. Eventually, the bite may fundamentally fail. All of these failures edge on a person’s self-confidence.
In the first year, tooth loss can cause a 25% decrease in bone width, increasing as you age.
So what can you do? Invest in a dental implant. Implants become fused to the living bone. They look and act like your regular old teeth and will have you feeling like your regular self in no time. Call Dr. Mark Reichman for you dental implant surgery today!