Replacing a missing tooth can seem like a hassle, but it’s actually very important to replace missing teeth in order to preserve your dental and jaw health. Leaving a gap where your tooth used to be could spell danger for your remaining teeth and gum health.

Protect against gum disease

One of the many reasons it’s important to replace missing teeth is because filling this gap will help protect against gum disease. When left open, this gap in your teeth leaves your gums vulnerable to food debris and bacteria. When this bacteria build-up on your gum and across the gum line of your neighbouring teeth, they have the potential to manifest and irritate your soft tissue. Your gums could become swollen, red, bleed, and recede from your neighbouring teeth due to irritation. The development of gum disease threatens the loss of more teeth, and as dentists we’d always prefer to safe natural teeth than replace missing teeth, which is why we think filling this gap with something like a dental implant is the best course of action for the rest of your mouth.

Stop your teeth drifting

When you lose a tooth, your neighbouring teeth have more freedom of movement. They’ll be sorely tempted to drift into this empty gap, affecting your tooth alignment. This will cause problems with your bite, smile, and how your jaw sits together when at rest. This of course affects your cosmetic smile, but it actually has a few health implications too. The extra burden shouldered by your remaining teeth and improper jaw function will soon become very uncomfortable and could raise the need for future (otherwise preventable) treatment. Yet another reason why replacing your missing teeth is important – to keep the rest of them in check!

Protect against cavities and decay

A missing tooth means a gap, and a gap means exposing the sides of your neighbouring teeth that were otherwise sheltered by the now-missing team member. These unsupported teeth create hard-to-reach places when cleaning, because it’s difficult to brush all exposed sides of the teeth. This leads to the possibility of bacteria and food debris going undisturbed on these hidden surfaces, eroding your protective enamel and laying the groundwork for decay and cavities. Left to their own devices, bacteria will gladly eat away at your teeth until further treatment is needed, such as extraction or a root canal. We think it’s important to replace missing teeth because this one procedure could save you numerous preventable procedures in the future.

Retain your jaw bone’s strength

Your teeth and jaw share a happy bond. The tooth root feeds into the jaw bone and lets it know that there is still a tooth in place, so the bone remains strong to support it. Once you lose a tooth and the root dies, though, that area of jaw bone obviously loses the signals. The bone, seeing no reason to continue its watch, begins to weaken in this area and appear ‘caved in’. It’s important to replace missing teeth in this respect because it keeps your bone strong from the rest of your teeth, helping to maintain your continued dental health. This is also a reason why dental implants are often the superior treatment option, because the dental implant root encourages the bone to heal around it and therefore keeps it strong.

Contact our Lancaster dental practice today

Replacing missing teeth may seem like a financial and timely commitment, but once you have received your tooth replacement you lessen the chances of needing many preventable procedures in the future. It’s important to replace missing teeth to maintain your dental health, so should you be interested in our tooth replacement treatments enquire online or speak to a member of the team on 01524 735 431. Replace your missing teeth in Carnforth with dental implants today!