Missing teeth are the result of extractions following gum disease, fractures or infections. Even when it causes no pain, a missing tooth has consequences for the whole mouth, and those consequences are worth preventing.
What happens when a tooth is missing
- The neighbouring teeth no longer touch: they tilt and eventually come loose.
- The gaps become food traps that cause decay.
- The opposing teeth drift down or up and come loose in turn.
- A pocket forms between the bone and the roots of the neighbouring teeth.
- The bone shrinks away because there is no longer a root.
- Chewing becomes unbalanced, with most of the work done on the opposite side.
A dental arch is like an architectural arch: if one stone is removed, the whole vault collapses.
What can be done?
Everything must be done to save your teeth. If one or more teeth are missing, they must be replaced, using whichever solution suits you best: implant, bridge or removable denture.
