If you have recently experienced tooth loss, you need to strongly consider whether or not you will get prosthetic teeth. Regardless of whether your tooth loss was caused by trauma or disease, this is a decision that must be made to preserve the integrity of your mouth. If you choose not to address the issue, future dental problems may occur as a result of the space(s) left behind. The following information will help you to better understand the significant changes that may occur to your mouth if you do not address missing teeth.

Gums

The tissue in the area where teeth are missing may start to disintegrate if the missing teeth are not replaced with prosthetics in a timely manner. This wasting away of the bone tissue may negatively impact facial bone structure. This is clearly evidenced in people who have a significant amount of teeth pulled or all of their teeth pulled and do not seek prosthetic replacements. Perhaps you have seen a person with sunken in cheekbones and missing teeth. Their appearance was likely the result of them not having adequate bone tissue to fill out their cheekbone areas. 

Other Teeth

People should think of their teeth as a "team" huddled together working towards success. When teeth are missing, intact teeth shift around and get out of their correct form. This can impact people's  appearance and if the teeth move out of their correct position it will take a lot of work to get them back in alignment. Missing teeth need to be replaced just like missing players on a team eventually have to be replaced to ensure success.

Options to Prevent Significant Oral Changes

Two common preventive measures for preserving the integrity of the mouth after tooth loss is experienced are dental implants or dentures. Several factors will determine which solution is best or recommended. For example, a person who has experienced bone tissue loss would not be an ideal candidate for dental implants unless they underwent a successful bone graft procedure to regenerate bone tissue.

The issue of dentures and dental implants is also influenced by patients' ability to pay out of pocket for their prosthetics or their reliance on insurance. Some insurance companies may not pay for dental implants due to their policy guidelines categorizing them as cosmetic.  

A cosmetic dentist is the best resource to use to determine what you can do about any missing teeth in your mouth. If your teeth have already shifted into an awkward position, they can assist with choosing dental solutions that can straighten your teeth or improve their appearance. For example, veneers may be able to be placed over natural help teeth give them a more uniform appearance. Contact a business, such as The Center For Progressive Dentistry, for more information.