What happens when you lose one of your teeth? If this has happened to you, you know the struggle of adjusting to the new gap in your mouth. A missing tooth can cause serious embarrassment as this new development in your appearance lacks subtlety. Because your teeth help support the volume of your face, tooth loss can cause your cheeks to seek inwards and give a more aged look. This is because as we age, our faces become thinner when we lose fat and bone tissue, and losing a tooth accelerates this process. Besides this effect on your appearance, failing to treat your missing tooth also harms your oral health. As your teeth lose the support of their missing neighbor, they begin to drift and cause problems with your alignment. This may lead to higher incidences of tooth decay and gum disease which in turn increases your risk of losing even more teeth.
At your Cerritos, CA, dentist’s office, we can offer you a prosthetic solution for your lost tooth. By placing a dental implant, you can restore the beautiful appearance of your smile while combatting threats to your oral health and regaining the function of your bite as well. This means no longer feeling embarrassed about a noticeable gap or missing out on your favorite foods!
The Harms Of Losing A Tooth
The proper alignment of your bite relies upon each one of your teeth remaining in its correct position. Because of this, losing a single tooth disrupts your entire bite and harms your oral health by causing misalignment. Whether from a physical injury or an advanced case of gum disease, the loss of your tooth creates an open socket that causes the remaining teeth to drift. As they move towards this gap, they stop neatly matching their opposite tooth on the opposite row and your bite suffers. Certain teeth take disproportionate force from your bite to make up for the missing support. This causes physical erosion of your enamel, which exposes the inside of your tooth to cavity-causing oral bacteria, but seeking a replacement can help prevent these threats.
Placing Your Dental Implant
We can insert a titanium post directly into your jawbone through your open socket. As you heal from surgery, your oral tissues fuse with your dental implant to provide permanent stability within your bone. To recreate the look and function of your tooth above the gum line, we can attach a dental crown to an abutment at the end of your implant post. By practicing routine oral hygiene and attending your semiannual checkup and cleanings, you can maintain your prosthetic for years to come!
Talk To Your Cerritos, CA, Dentist About Replacing Your Missing Tooth!
A dental implant can offer prosthetic restoration for missing teeth to help restore your smile. For more information on this treatment, contact your Cerritos, CA, dentist at 562-584-4082. We serve patients from all surrounding communities, such as Lakewood, Long Beach, and Buena Park.
