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Tooth Loss Causes, Effects and Treatments

A person’s smile is one of the first things you notice when you meet them. Your pearly whites support your mouth and your face. Without them, your appearance would be drastically altered, and not in a good way. Tooth loss can occur in children as well as adults and here is a checklist for causes that lead to tooth loss.

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Poor Oral Hygiene

It’s no secret – you don’t take care of your teeth, they won’t take care of you. Practicing poor oral hygiene results in bacteria to multiply on the surface of your teeth and the acid produced by them can cause cavities to form.

Bad eating Habits

Your teeth, as well as your body need nutrients and minerals to stay healthy. When you constantly snack on junk food, you are depriving your body of necessary minerals that are vital for repairing your body and tooth enamel.

Violence

When you get into fights and get knocked around or are involved in violent sports, the trauma can cause your teeth to loosen, fall out or cause root fracture which may result in an infection years down the line.

Missing appointments with your Dental Care Provider

Even if you follow all the oral hygiene basics, it is advised to visit your dentist in Vancouver, BC at least twice a year to make sure that all is good. There are many things you cannot see which a dentist can, and missing or being irregular with your appointments can result in tooth decay when tooth infections are left unchecked.

Effects of Tooth Loss

When you lose your teeth due to tooth decay or infection, you lose more than just your teeth. Your face will look older as the skin around your mouth area will sag due to extensive loss of teeth that affects the aesthetics of the face, jaw line and profile. As we live in a world where we appreciate all things visually, our physical appeal will drop several notches and social events will cease to be pleasurable.

Even the loss of a single tooth can make a difference. The adjacent teeth will adjust to the gap and as they shift around, the distance between teeth can increase, leading to occlusion issues, facial pain, bone loss around the lost tooth, speech impairment, eating problems and more.

Fortunately, there are treatments for your problems. The remedy is of course, to replace the missing teeth so that the muscle, tissue and bone around it are not affected, preventing further damage. You can opt for permanent solutions like Dental implants and implant supported dental bridges. An artificial root constructed from titanium is inserted into your jawbone to replace the missing tooth’s root. A replacement tooth is then attached to the titanium root/ implant to give a very natural effect. These are very stable and offer optimum strength. In fact, you can barely tell the difference between implants and your real teeth.

There are non surgical options available like bridges and dentures. Bridges are secured to dental crowns to deal with the void created due to tooth loss. Dentures, on the other hand are removable insertions that are crafted to fit your mouth to mimic the missing teeth.

Whichever you choose to opt for, you can get the best dental advice from your dental care provider. Keep your smile beautiful and be regular with your dental appointments to avoid tooth loss.