If your confidence has suffered from the loss of one or more teeth, then you may not need much convincing to replace them. However, some patients still neglect to restore their smiles after losing teeth, often because they don’t realize that a lacking smile has a greater impact than mere aesthetics. In case you’re wondering whether or not you should replace your missing teeth, your Park Ridge implant dentists explain the importance of a complete smile, and why tooth replacement is important to preserving your oral health after tooth loss.
There’s Strength in Numbers
Your mouth is the most-frequently used part of your body, and your teeth absorb the most (and most consistent) force. A healthy mouth is designed to preserve its components by displacing this pressure, which largely requires a full rank of upper and lower teeth that meet evenly when your bite closes. When you lose one or more, your remaining teeth can shift towards the gap(s) to take up the slack in your bite. Aside from throwing your bite further off-balance, shifting teeth are also at a greater risk for tooth decay, gum disease, and loss.
A Full Smile is More than Just Pretty
Your teeth serve as more than just placeholders for each other; when you bite and chew, the roots of your teeth (which are embedded in your jawbone) are stimulated. This stimulation tells your body how many nutrients your jawbone needs to remain strong while supplying your teeth with essential nutrition through their roots. Your body responds to tooth loss, and the loss of root stimulation, by reducing this nutrient supply, which can cause jawbone deterioration, further tooth loss, and eventual facial collapse.
Learn More About Expert Tooth Replacement with Your Park Ridge Implant Dentists
If you’ve lost one or more teeth and would like to learn your options for replacement them, then schedule an appointment with Dr. Maria and Dr. Thanasi Loukas by calling your Park Ridge implant dentists’ office at (847) 696-1919. Located in the 60068 area, we proudly serve patients from Park Ridge and the surrounding Chicago communities.