How Long Can I Go Without a Tooth? Tooth loss is a common issue in humans. The tendency increases after middle age. In fact, an American adult would have lost up to 12 permanent teeth by age 50, according to Harvard Medical School. The common causes of tooth loss are gum infection, injury, and tooth decay.
Restoring lost teeth is a crucial aspect of reclaiming your confidence in your smile, and it is also important to strengthening dental health and having an actual bite. Below, we discuss how long you can go without a tooth and what will happen to the gum and area close to the gap.
How Long Can I Go Without a Tooth?
The Teeth Surrounding the Missing Tooth
The gap left by the missing tooth might cause the surrounding teeth to change position because there is no support to maintain the arrangement of the teeth.
When a gap is left by a missing tooth, the surrounding teeth tend to shift because that tooth is no longer helping to keep everything in line. Eventually, teeth may become uneven leading to new gaps between teeth.
An additional problem going without a tooth that may arise is super-eruption. The tooth that is opposite to the lost tooth may begin to grow out of position because the opposite tooth is no longer there to restrict the growth. This can make chewing and closing the mouth difficult. You may encounter sensitivity and other cases of bad teeth around this super-erupted tooth.
As for the gum, it begins to regenerate to heal itself after two weeks. The healing is faster compared to other body tissue. Fortunately, there are various tooth restoration alternatives:
- Dental implants
- Dental bridges
- Biting and Chewing
Teeth work together as a team. Suitably arranged teeth work concurrently when you bite and chew. When a tooth is missing, stress is positioned on the usable teeth or, you may not chew well because of the lost tooth, which can affect the efficiency of your body’s ability to digest food. Chewing is the initial aspect of the digestive system. Missing teeth will have you avoid some chewy, crunchy, or firm foods.
The Alignment of Your Bite
You can regain your wide smile with teeth replacement. Your teeth connect in a process called occlusion. This process forms a relationship between the upper and lower teeth and how they act during biting and chewing. There is a perfect occlusion, which dentists assist you to acquire through orthodontic procedures and dental restorations.
A lost tooth finally leads to modifications in your bite, altering with the perfect occlusion you admired once. By restoring the tooth, you can restore your bite.
Your Feelings About Your Teeth and Smile
A smile is an important part of a human. Smiling is a beautiful way to communicate and emote with people.
The way you feel about your smile is very important. A lost tooth can prompt you to hold back. Our dentists enjoy restoring people’s smiles, bringing life-changing joy to someone.
Bone loss is another issue associated with living with a missing tooth. The roots of your teeth are in your jawbone which also goes missing with the tooth. This incident can eventually lead to tooth deterioration. The deterioration can further affect the root of other teeth resulting in more tooth loss. Critical bone loss can also make it difficult to permit dental implants.
How Long Can I Go Without a Tooth? Contact us today to learn more.
For more information on cosmetic dentistry, restorative dentistry, root canals, emergency dentistry, or if you’re looking for a new dentist in Clackamas Oregon serving the entire Clackamas area, Contact NW Dental.
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