Teeth are integral to our daily lives and overall well-being for various reasons. Firstly, they are essential for proper digestion, as they help break down food into smaller, digestible pieces through chewing. Additionally, teeth play a crucial role in speech and communication, aiding in the formation of sounds and words. Beyond functionality, teeth contribute significantly to our appearance, influencing our smile and facial aesthetics, which in turn impacts confidence and self-esteem.
Maintaining good oral health is vital for overall health, as poor dental hygiene can lead to various systemic issues. Healthy teeth facilitate social interaction, allowing for comfortable smiling, laughing, and expressing emotions. In essence, teeth are not just necessary for eating; they are fundamental to our physical, emotional, and social well-being.
Missing teeth are incredibly common. In fact, about one-third of Americans are missing teeth, and about one-tenth don’t have any teeth at all. It’s an incredibly common problem — luckily, there are many solutions to this problem.
However, to better understand the solution, it’s helpful to dive into the reasons why teeth fall out in the first place. In this article, we’re going to discuss the reasons why our teeth could fall out, and more importantly, we’re going to talk about what solutions are available to you.
What Causes Teeth To Fall Out?
Tooth Decay
One of the most common causes of missing teeth is tooth decay. This is a problem that many people face, not just those with missing teeth. Some of us have had to get more fillings than others, but the truth is that everybody is constantly fighting off tooth decay.
Bacteria live naturally in your mouth. When those bacteria consume the sugars and starches in your food, they can release an acid that can be harmful to your teeth.
This acid can wear away at the protective layer of your teeth called the enamel. Once this happens, the cores of your teeth can start to decay.
What Are the Symptoms of Tooth Decay?
For starters, tooth decay can cause a bit of pain. You might feel an ache in your tooth, or you might start to notice that your teeth are sensitive to cold and hot temperatures or sweet foods and drinks.
Your teeth can even become infected and create abscesses which may cause pain, swelling, and fever.
There are treatments for tooth decay that can stop it early, but if tooth decay goes untreated, the tooth can become rotten and eventually fall out, leading to tooth loss.
Injuries
Many people lose their teeth due to injuries. It’s a common problem for hockey players and MMA fighters, but you don’t have to be a professional athlete to get an injury that causes tooth loss.If you get hit hard enough in the mouth, your teeth can get knocked out. It’s as simple as that. Of course, you may also chip a tooth in an injury instead of losing it completely. In that case, sometimes the tooth is still viable, but in others, the tooth may need to be reinforced or removed.
Unfortunately, many times there isn’t much you can do to avoid being injured in this way. It’s recommended to wear a mouthguard if you play a contact sport and try to avoid dangerous situations that could bring harm to your face or mouth.
Gum Disease
Another common cause of tooth loss is gum disease. Gum disease is a bacterial infection of the gums that can lead to major health problems. If the bacterial infection advances far enough, it can start to decay the bone that holds your teeth in place, which can cause your teeth to fall out.
Gum disease can lead to swelling or redness in the gums. However,t most of the time it isn’t painful, meaning you could have it and not even know it. If left untreated, it could lead to tooth loss and even spread the infection to other places in your body.
What Causes Gum Disease?
Gum disease can be caused by several factors. The biggest cause is plaque buildup around the base of your teeth.
However, your risk can be increased by a lot of different factors, including:
- Tobacco usage
- Excessive drinking
- Low-nutrient diet
- Autoimmune diseases
- Diabetes
- Grinding or clenching teeth
- Genetic factors
All of these factors can increase your risk of gum disease, and in turn, increase your risk of losing teeth.
What Can You Do About Tooth Loss?
There are many different treatment options for tooth loss. The right option for you depends on your unique situation, how many teeth you’re missing, and whether or not you have salvageable teeth.
Dental Implants
If you’re only missing one tooth, your dentist might recommend dental implants. Essentially, a dental implant is a screw that is surgically installed into your jaw and bonded to the bone in your gum.
A fake tooth is put on top of the implant, and you care for it just like you would your regular teeth. It looks and feels completely normal once it’s all healed up.
Dental Bridges
If you’re missing a few teeth in a row, you might want to consider a dental bridge. A dental bridge is a small piece of fake gum with fake teeth attached. The bridge uses metal wiring to attach to the teeth on either side of the gap in your mouth.
Implant-Supported Dentures
If you are missing all or most of your teeth and you need a full set of prosthetic or replacement teeth, implant-supported dentures, also called anchored dentures, may be the solution you’re looking for.
This option uses dental implants to give your dentures a secure place to snap onto when you put them in your mouth. Plus, when you’re ready to take them out for cleaning, you can simply snap them off with ease.
This method combines the convenience and cleanliness of traditional dentures with the secure fit of permanent dentures.
On top of that, dental implants help to support the health of your jawbone and other facial bones, which can play a factor in your risk of developing jawbone loss. This amazing dental technology is a new and innovative treatment for people with tooth loss.
The Bottom Line
There are many factors that can contribute to tooth loss. For instance, tooth decay, injuries, and gum disease can all cause your teeth to fall out.
If you’re missing teeth, you don’t need to worry. There are solutions that you can take advantage of to help restore your teeth and get back the million-dollar smile that you deserve.
For more information on treatment for tooth loss, check out Renew Smiles.
Sources:
Dental Bridges: Who Needs Them, Types, Costs, Procedure & Care Issues | Cleveland Clinic