If you’ve ever had a tooth out, you may have considered it an unfortunate event but not one that requires expensive treatment to fix. Dental patients tend to underestimate the importance of replacing their teeth, often considering the results purely cosmetic and not worth the investment. What they don’t know is that every tooth in your mouth relies on every other tooth in your mouth to perform at their best and protect your dental health. If you’ve lost a tooth or are considering an extraction over a root canal, take some time to consider the following facts.
Each Tooth Plays A Vital Role In Speech and Eating
Let’s start with the basics. Every tooth in your mouth plays its own role in chewing food and speaking clearly. Your “front teeth” or central incisors are used for slicing and tearing through food and work in conjunction with your tongue to make certain sounds. Molars help to crush and grind food once your incisors have ripped the food apart. While you can make do with having only some of each type of tooth, the nearby teeth take additional wear and tear as they make up for the absent tooth.
Each Tooth Supports The Nearby Teeth
In addition to distributing the workload evenly across the different types of teeth, each tooth also serves as a support system for the tooth next to it. Chewing and grinding up food puts a strain on each of the teeth, and when they’re all there together, they support each other to ensure they don’t move out of position. When you have a tooth missing, its previous neighbors no longer have that tooth holding it in place, and the wear and tear of eating and speaking can eventually cause them to become misaligned.
Why Get A Dental Replacement Instead Of Dentures?
Dentures are a popular solution for those missing teeth but have their disadvantages as well. While partial dentures can help support the remaining teeth while eating and speaking, they don’t help the jawbone at all. When you have a missing tooth, the bone of your jaw can degrade in that area, becoming thinner and less durable as it adapts to the absence of the tooth. Dental implants not only support the neighboring teeth; they actually stimulate bone growth and healing that helps strengthen the jaw around the replacement. This makes them an excellent investment for those looking to prolong their overall oral health.
If you have more questions about dental replacement options and how they can help preserve your remaining teeth, make a call to Dr. Alireza Movassaghi at the Alameda Dental Group. From their offices in Alameda, CA, their team of dental experts has been helping patients like you make informed decisions about their oral health and replacement options. Don’t wait until your missing tooth causes lasting damage to your remaining teeth, call for an appointment, and take action to protect your oral health. During your appointment, you’ll undergo a standard dental exam and receive a consultation on which dental replacement options are right for you.