How Missing Teeth Affect Your Mouth | Uptown Dental | Marion Dentist (2024)

FAQs

How Missing Teeth Affect Your Mouth | Uptown Dental | Marion Dentist? ›

One of the more serious side effects of losing a tooth is the potential loss of bone density in the jaw. Teeth are intricately linked to the jaw through the roots. Nerves and blood vessels connect to the jaw, and when those structures are gone, the jawbone can destabilize.

Missing teeth often cause gum disease.

Once your gums start to deplete, and the jaw bone weakens, more teeth become stable and wobbly. Severe cases, which can develop quite rapidly, often experience multiple tooth losses – the chances of this also increase when you smoke.

Missing Teeth Result in Permanent Bone Loss

Missing teeth are closely linked to permanent major bone loss. The molars provide support for the mandible, which also lessens bone loss. Because the mouth cannot move inward, which would impair speech and food chewing, high bone density stops this from happening.

Missing Teeth Problems. Difficulty in Chewing – Teeth are crucial for chewing food. Missing a tooth can cause pain and discomfort when eating certain types of food. Although you can avoid eating them, you might be missing out on essential vitamins and minerals that your body needs.

Tooth loss affects overall health and quality of life

Teeth play an important role in speech, eating ability, facial appearance and quality of life. Losing a tooth can cause surrounding teeth to shift and bacteria to accumulate under the gum line, resulting in further gum disease and loss of bone and tissue.

Missing one or more teeth can cause bite irregularities that impact the health of your remaining teeth, your gums, your head and neck, your jaw muscles and your jaw joint (temporomandibular joint). The manner in which the chewing surfaces of your teeth come together determines occlusion (your bite).

Your teeth may start to move over time to fill the gap that has been created, causing teeth to drift and your smile to change shape. A gap in your smile, particularly at the front, can affect your speech and your confidence as your may avoid smiling or talking so as not to reveal the hole.

Missing teeth can have an impact on your oral and overall health, as well as your well-being — no matter how old you are. Today, there are many options available to ensure that losing a tooth doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your smile or quality of life.

Studies suggest that hypodontia is usually an inherited trait, but environmental factors during tooth development may also play a role. Having more than six permanent teeth missing is known as oligodontia, and a total absence of adult teeth is referred to as anodontia.

Constipation and digestive problems

When you are missing teeth, you are not able to chew your food properly, and you are bound to swallow bigger particles than you should.

What diseases are associated with missing teeth? ›

Tooth loss has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, and an increased risk for kidney disease. Gum disease and severe infections in the mouth can spread to other parts of the body faster than people realize. A healthy mouth is alkaline. It's vital for you to maintain an alkaline pH to keep harmful bacteria away.

If periodontal disease develops due to missing teeth, it could ultimately raise risks to general health. Untreated gum disease has been linked to increased risks of several serious (even life-threatening) health conditions, including stroke, hypertension, heart disease, dementia, and some types of cancer.

It is well established that the complete loss of teeth—edentulism—leads to morphological changes in the orofacial region that can impact airway patency.

Missing teeth can lead to shifting of the teeth, which can drastically impact how your teeth come together when you bite. An improper bite (malocclusion) can lead to a variety of problems, including things like headaches, muscle pain, unnatural wearing of the teeth, tooth loss, sensitivity and even TMJD.

Poor oral health can impair your general health and well-being by creating or exacerbating health conditions such as heart and lung disease, stroke, or social anxiety and depression. Lesser but still serious side effects include difficulty swallowing and speaking, chronic pain, and loss of sleep.

When a person chews, the movement of teeth stimulates the brain's hippocampus region, which is involved in memory. Tooth loss means that fewer of these signals are sent. Scientists found that elderly individuals who had more of their own teeth had 4 percent better memory compared to those with greater tooth loss.

Bone Loss: One major problem related to missing teeth is the loss of healthy jawbone. Teeth allow one to incise (tear into food), bite and chew food (make smaller particle size for swallowing) which keep the bones healthy. If you do not treat your missing teeth, your jawbone will deteriorate over time.

Facial angles – The length of the jawbone is affected by tooth loss, resulting in lowering facial height. Changes in the angles of the face can also make the face appear sunken or hallowed. Facial wrinkles– Without teeth adding fullness to a face, more vertical lines are formed, resulting in a more aged appearance.

Among the dangers of missing teeth are poor bites (malocclusions) and unbalanced facial structures which contribute to facial symmetry. The position of your bite is incredibly important for a number of reasons. Your bite affects your ability to chew, speak, eat, and breathe.

What people tend to forget or don't fully comprehend are the psychological effects associated with having missing or failed teeth or a very loose denture. Tooth loss can lower a person's self-esteem and confidence significantly, and this can really reduce a person's overall quality of life.