Is replacing missing teeth really that important?

YES!!

There are many effects missing teeth can have on our bodies, they either effect us immediately or not till much later and unfortunately due to lack of knowledge sometimes a simple single missing tooth replacement and become a lot more complicated, working out more costly and timely.

Oral Health

Our oral health is a key factor to consider when deciding to replace a missing tooth. When a single tooth is lost it changes the entire balance within our mouth and teeth next to or above the gap can begin to move, tilting inwards and drop downwards as they naturally drift to fill the space, this can change our bite and make cleaning difficult in the future which could result in bone loss.

Comfort

It is unfortunate that sometimes loosing a tooth means we have to make changes to other things we enjoy like food, when there is a missing space chewing hard food can be uncomfortable and if chewing becomes difficult we sometimes have to alter our diet to eat softer foods and can no longer enjoy a steak or hard baguettes for example. This becomes even more difficult over time if you continue to loose more and more teeth.

Appearance

It may sound superficial but it is sad to see patients loose all confidence smiling and enjoying themselves due to a missing tooth. Studies have shown that a missing tooth alone can lead to depression effecting individuals work and personal life. Appearance is usually patients main concern when it comes to considering replacing a missing tooth, we have found dental implants have the most positive reaction from patients when choosing replacement options as they are fixed in placed and can be altered by lab technicians to look just like the tooth that was lost. This gives our patients their confidence back when talking and smiling without having to worry about dentures moving or effecting their speech.