Four Common Issues Associated with Missing Teeth in Sterling Heights

There are a lot of reasons you could lose your teeth. This can happen after an accident, due to poor lifestyle habits, and poor oral hygiene. If you experience tooth issues and you are missing a tooth, you should know it can lead to more complications.

A missing tooth must not be left unreplaced for a long time. You must visit your Sterling Heights family dentist to know the restoration options you can benefit from. Your dentist may recommend that you get a dental implant or denture. A missing tooth can result in different oral health problems that can appear in the future when you ignore it. These include the following:

Gum Disease

 A missing tooth can affect your gum tissue. Thus, losing a tooth can increase your chances of suffering from gum infection or gum disease, which can also damage your other teeth. Also, gum disease is associated with complex medical issues like heart conditions and diabetes. 

Bone Loss

Every bone in your body, including those in your mouth, must be exercised constantly to keep them stronger. However, when you lose a tooth, your jawbone, which supports that tooth, can degrade. Over time, when you lose bone density, your physical look can change. As a result, you might look older than your age. Your family dentist should be able to provide you with restorative options to fix your missing tooth.

Teeth Shifting

Did you know that your teeth work together to maintain their strength? Thus, you will have good oral health as long as your teeth are intact and complete. However, things will change when you lose a tooth. The gap created will let the adjacent tooth shift its position and such misalignment can result in jaw pain and headaches. In addition, it can be difficult to maintain oral hygiene if you have misaligned teeth and you may suffer from tooth decay or lose more teeth.

Eating Difficulty

If you have missing teeth, it can be hard for you to eat hard and crunchy folds due to the empty space between teeth. When you try to munch on these foods, they could damage your gums and neighboring teeth. Indeed, you may choose to avoid your favorite food altogether to protect your teeth and gums. With your dentist’s help, you do not need to make these diet sacrifices. They can recommend dental implants, which tend to function and look like natural teeth. They are strong enough to they won’t get damaged easily when you eat hard foods.