You know that missing teeth affect your appearance, and they might make you feel very self-conscious. But there are many other important reasons to replace missing teeth. Having missing teeth actually affects your overall oral, physical, and mental health.
Oral Health
When you have missing teeth, the gum beneath and around the missing tooth begins to recede, and the bone of the jaw where the tooth is missing begins to wear away. With the bone wearing away and the gums receding, teeth on either side of the missing tooth will eventually become loosened and decayed, and they, too, will have to be removed. This is a slippery slope.
Physical Health
Your physical health is also affected by having missing teeth. If you have missing teeth, you are more likely to get oral or dental infections, which can travel throughout your body from your mouth to cause a host of health conditions and problems. You are also not getting adequate nutrition when you are missing teeth because you are limited in the foods that you can chew.
Mental Health
Your mental health is just as important as your oral or physical health, and it, too, is impacted by missing teeth. When you have missing teeth, it can cause you to have very low self-esteem. You may think that your missing teeth make you stand out; and, therefore, you might avoid social situations and withdraw. This can lead to depression, social anxiety, and other disorders.
As you can see, it is very important that you replace missing teeth as soon as you are able. If you have missing teeth that you want to remedy, contact us today for more information or to schedule an initial dental exam.
