Should I Replace My Missing Teeth?

Young man losing a tooth

Missing teeth can be caused by a wide range of situations, from poor oral hygiene to trauma to injury, gum disease, and other conditions. Most often, patients intervene in time when they lose front teeth, as your smile is one of the first things people notice about you. 

But, often, if a patient is missing molars they are tempted to skip getting treatment and keep using the other remaining teeth. Is this a good idea? And if not, why so? 

Why You Should Replace Any Missing Teeth

When you have one or more missing teeth, your remaining teeth might start to shift their position and lose jaw bone support. When a tooth is missing, the jaw bone underneath it is no longer stimulated through chewing to keep regenerating and stay strong, leading to bone recession. 

In time, the area beneath the missing tooth becomes weaker and spreads to other areas in the jaw bone, endangering the other teeth as well. 

Missing teeth are also making eating and speaking more difficult and can modify your facial structure. 

Tooth Replacement Options

To address a missing tooth problem, you have several available options. Your dentist is the best one to present the best course of action, depending on what other oral health problems you may have, your budget, your medical history, and other important factors. 

Temporary solutions include artificial crowns that can be anchored to the surrounding teeth or partial dentures. These solutions are good for aesthetic reasons, and they also help with chewing and speaking. However, the bone underneath is still not stimulated, which is why jaw bone recession continues to be a risk. 

Because these temporary options are affordable and do help to a degree, it’s recommended to have them until you are viable for getting a dental implant. 

Dental implants are the best possible treatment for missing teeth, as they take over all the functions of a natural tooth, including the roots which keep your bone tissue healthy and strong. Because dental implant patients need to have good overall dental health, you might need to go through restorative procedures beforehand.

Book an Appointment Today

If you have one or more missing teeth and you want to solve your problems, book an appointment and see a dentist as soon as you can. Our team at Whitestone Family Dentistry is perfectly equipped to give you the best replacement solution and will explain every step thoroughly and clearly.

We treat all of our patients with care and empathy and are aware of their financial needs and priorities. We always try to come up with a solution that will address the issues you have, without being invasive or putting you through other struggles. 

Contact Whitestone Family Dentistry and visit our cabinet in Cedar Park, Texas, and restore your beautiful smile with our help!

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