If you’ve lost a tooth you may find it hard to regain your confidence. Maybe you’ve changed your smile since then, or you still feel conscious every-time you smile. Depending on where the tooth is you may not even see it, but wonder the best way to care for your oral health moving forward.

Taking Care After the Tooth Loss

If a tooth is missing, nearby teeth can begin to move into the vacant space, causing problems with your bite. This shifting can also create gaps that make teeth more vulnerable to bacterial growth if proper oral hygiene is not practiced. Once bacteria begins to grow around the gum line, periodontal disease can occur, or worse, periodontitis, which can cause additional bone loss and/or tooth loss.

Watch fo Changes in Facial Appearance

Affecting more than just your smile, tooth loss can cause the shape of your face to change. Everything from your chin, lip, and bite change. When teeth are missing, your jaw begins to shrink, the muscles detract from the bone, and if you experience severe bone loss, you can suffer a “collapse” in your facial shape. Thankfully, your dentist can offer options such as dental implants, dentures, or other solutions to prevent facial collapse.

Difficulty Chewing or Biting

As bone deteriorates because of tooth loss, chewing and speaking can become problematic. You need your teeth to chew and/or bite into food, so even missing one tooth can create a misaligned bite, which results in unnecessary pressure on the other teeth to pick up the slack. When the teeth do not come together while chewing, it can cause pain or discomfort.

Most people who are missing a tooth or several teeth feel embarrassed. An incomplete smile is an unwanted characteristic, which is why dentists offer various treatment plans to address tooth loss. If you feel insecure and are hiding your smile, make an appointment with Dental Concepts to find out what option is right for you. Confidence goes hand-in-hand with setting check-up appointments with your dentist. Having a plan to restore your smile will give you a roadmap to when you’ll have your complete smile back.

Now that you know what kinds of consequences a missing tooth can have on you, isn’t it time to address the issue? Take care of your oral health by making sure you and your dentist discuss the right treatment option so you can have a healthy smile you’ll be proud to show.