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Spanish According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 26% of adults in the U.S. aged 65 and older have 8 or fewer teeth left. This data includes our patients in New Jersey, who struggle with missing teeth every day. When you lose teeth, you’re dealing with a lot more than just a gap in your smile. Tooth loss has a major impact on your overall quality of life and has hidden consequences below your gums! The only way to truly restore your smile is with innovative dental implants. These titanium posts embed in your jawbone, creating a strong foundation for replacement teeth. To learn how tooth loss is affecting your oral health and how to stop it, book a free implant consultation with us in Wayne, NJ!
Issues That Missing Teeth Cause
Tooth loss, despite being more prevalent in older adults, isn’t a natural consequence of aging. Typically, patients lose teeth due to things like tooth decay, gum disease, and smoking.
After tooth loss, patients struggle with issues such as:
Difficulty eating: To chew food, you need a strong bite. But when you have missing teeth, you may struggle to break down certain foods effectively. Tough meats and hard vegetables become a hassle to chew, potentially forcing you to alter your diet.- Shifting teeth: When missing teeth, your remaining natural teeth will begin to move towards the gap in your smile. But as your teeth shift, you’ll develop misalignments that affect your ability to clean your smile, putting your oral health at risk.
- Low self-esteem: Gaps in your smile can cause embarrassment, leading some patients to avoid social interaction. But with low self-esteem comes a lowered quality of life, as you miss out on real-life connections with loved ones.
But beyond these surface-level issues, patients are experiencing consequences they can’t even see!
The Hidden Impact of Missing Teeth
Tooth loss leads to more than just gaps in your smile. Over time, you may begin to notice some very significant changes to your jaw.
Natural teeth have roots that embed in your jawbone, below your gums. These roots stimulate the bone whenever you bite or chew, keeping the structure healthy. But after tooth loss, your jawbone loses stimulation. Over time, it will begin to deteriorate or shrink, and it will not grow back.
Studies have shown that after tooth loss, approximately 30% of the bone that supports your teeth is lost. And while most bone loss occurs in the first 6 months, your jaw will continue to shrink over time. The most common consequences of bone loss underneath your gums include:
- TMJ problems: Your temporomandibular joint is a natural hinge that connects your jaw to your skull. But as you lose bone, this joint may experience stress, causing jaw pain or headaches. If you already have TMD, bone loss may exacerbate the issue.
- Facial collapse: After losing jawbone material, your mouth may appear to sink in towards your face while your chin becomes more pointed, giving you a hollow-cheeked look. Many patients find that facial collapse makes them look older, as it prematurely wrinkles the mouth area.
- Dental implant difficulties: Dental implants need a substantial amount of jawbone structure for support. But after tooth loss, many patients lack sufficient jawbone. To undergo implant treatment, you may need surgical procedures to rebuild lost bone structure first.
How Dental Implants Prevent Bone Loss
Traditional tooth replacement methods, like dental bridges or dentures, only replace the surface of your smile. The only way to stop bone loss in its tracks is to replace the missing tooth roots below your gums, too!
Dental implants do exactly that, embedding in your jawbone to stimulate the bone whenever you chew. However, if you don’t have enough bone to support a dental implant, how do you stop bone loss? Fortunately, Fine Dental Care has a solution!
At our office in Wayne, NJ, we use mini dental implants. These small titanium posts are only one-piece, and are significantly thinner in diameter.
Mini implants fit in minimal bone, often allowing patients without enough bone to restore their smile without issue! And, in many cases, those who would need a bone graft for a traditional implant won’t need one for mini implants. Instead, we anchor these thin-diameter implants directly in your jaw without trouble.
Once inside your jaw, the titanium post will immediately begin integrating with your bone. Then, typically that same day, we place a temporary or final restoration on top to restore your smile!
With your implant-supported crown, bridge, or denture in place, you can fill the gaps in your smile while protecting your jaw from deterioration.
Replace Missing Teeth With Dental Implants in Wayne, NJ
With millions of Americans experiencing tooth loss, it’s important to understand the effects of missing teeth. While many patients believe it’s no more than a gap in their smile, Fine Dental Care is here to tell you about the hidden consequences of tooth loss! Underneath your gums, your jaw will begin to deteriorate over time. Without treatment, this bone loss causes irreparable damage and will impact your overall quality of life. The only way to stop bone deterioration is to replace your missing teeth with dental implants! These titanium posts stimulate the bone and keep your smile happy and healthy.
Book your free implant consultation in Wayne, NJ, to start your journey toward better oral health!
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