Tooth loss can cause a lot of discomfort and worry, especially as a young adult. Even in your later years, tooth loss can be traumatic because, despite common misconceptions, tooth loss is not a normal part of the ageing process. Instead, it happens if you do not look after your teeth properly or suffer from underlying health conditions.
You must always maintain excellent dental hygiene and visit your dentist regularly to ensure that your teeth are clean, healthy and free of decay or disease. Avoiding routine dental checkups can result in many dental health complications; this is because plaque and tartar can build on your teeth and cause tooth decay and gum disease. With good dental hygiene, most plaque can be removed; however, if you have crooked or misaligned teeth, plaque can remain in those hard-to-reach areas, eventually hardening and becoming tartar. If you avoid your dentist, you may risk irreversible damage to your teeth, which can result in tooth loss. If you have lost a tooth, it is essential that you visit your dentist as soon as possible to replace it.
The effects of missing teeth
Missing teeth can cause a range of dental health complications. They can affect the appearance of your smile, causing embarrassment and even social anxiety, make you look older than you actually are and affect your facial features giving a sunken, hollow appearance to your cheeks. However, aesthetic issues would perhaps be the least of your worries. Missing teeth can cause your remaining teeth to succumb to misalignment. Your teeth may collapse into the gap, resulting in a range of other problems. Missing teeth can also affect the way you speak, bite and chew and stop you from enjoying your favourite foods. Gaps in your grin are trouble, and they can cause you to lose more teeth in the future.
Dental implants Teddington
Speak to your dentist and find out about tooth replacement options. The most popular method of replacing missing teeth is with dental implants Teddington. Dental implants have been used since the 1950s, and they are designed to replace the root of the missing tooth. In 2023, the most commonly used dental implants are small titanium screws which are biocompatible, strong and noncorrosive. These implants have more than a 95% success rate, and with good dental hygiene and regular visits to the dentist, they can last for the rest of your life.
Titanium initiates a natural healing process, which is known as osseointegration; this causes osteoblasts to form around the implant so that it becomes locked in place. Unless you suffer from gum disease or bone decay, you should not be able to remove the implant once it is in place without fracturing the bone. This means that implants can be great for those looking for permanent solutions for their missing teeth. Speak to your dentist today and find out about your suitability for dental implants and how they can replace your missing teeth and benefit your dental health in the future.
