Losing a tooth obviously affects the way you look and how you feel about yourself. From here, you can experience profound social and psychological issues. However, dentists like Warrendale Dental Care say there is more to unsightly gaps in between your teeth than just aesthetics and reduced self-confidence.
Loss of alveolar bone
The alveolar bone supports your teeth, and it needs stimulation for it to maintain not only its form, but its density too. This necessary stimulation comes from the teeth attached to it. Every time you do something that involves the teeth and the mouth, your teeth come into fleeting contacts with all the others. These stresses prompts the alveolar bone to rebuild and remodel on a continuous basis.
When you lose a tooth, a part of your alveolar bone loses the stimulation it needs. This then results in the loss in your alveolar bone’s external width, height, and volume.
Decrease in gum tissue
As you alveolar bone diminishes in width and height, a decrease in your gum tissue also takes place. When this happens, you will find it harder to bite, chew, and even speak. The more teeth you lose, the more bone functionality you lose as well.
This ultimately results in serious aesthetic issues as well as functional problems.
Resorbed basal bone
Your concerns about lost tooth do not end there. Once you lose part of your alveolar bone, the basal bone – the bone underneath the alveolar bone – resorbs or melts away. This leads to a decrease in the distance between your nose and chin. The lower part of your face can collapse with it, causing significantly negative changes in your facial appearance. You will also experience even more bone loss, and with it, loss of even more functionality.
Losing a tooth, in itself, should already make you concerned, not only because of facial alterations, but because of its impact on your overall oral health. One of the best ways to counter these consequences is to seek a dentist in Ross-on-Wye specialising in tooth implants.
