As we grow older, for many reasons we may suffer from tooth loss. Without replacement, this could lead to a weakened jaw and even a prematurely aged appearance! But our team can help. In today’s blog, your Shrewsbury, MA, dentist talks about replacing missing teeth with dental implants and more, which not only fill the empty gaps in your smile, but help keep your youthful facial features intact!
The Causes of Tooth Loss
Why do we lose our teeth? Minor tooth loss could be connected to issues like an untreated cavity or a severe dental infection. Injury to the face or jaw could cause missing teeth too. The most common factor behind lost teeth, and behind major tooth loss, is periodontitis, the advanced stage of gum disease. When you lose teeth, even just one tooth, we hope you will contact our team right away to talk about dental implant options with our prosthodontist. Otherwise, your smile could weaken and you could develop an older appearance!
How Missing Teeth Weakens Your Smile
When you lose a tooth, this could lead to issues with meals, clear speech, or even your confidence levels and ability to interact in social situations. But the body will also respond to your tooth loss by suspending the flow of calcium and phosphorus to the jaw. Without these nutrients, the jaw itself will weaken and erode, which means further tooth loss and a prematurely aged appearance, with sunken cheeks and even a ptotic chin. But with dental implants, we can offer new teeth that look and function like natural ones, and help prevent this erosion in your face and jaw.
Dental Implants, and Maxillofacial Prosthetics
For minor tooth loss, we could insert a dental implant, a small biocompatible titanium post that acts like a new root. This bonds with the bite to prevent the loss of mass and density and allow the flow of nutrients to resume. If you have more advanced cases of tooth loss, we could use several posts to support a bridge or even a denture. In fact, with All-On-Four, we can use just four posts per arch to support a full row of new teeth. Not only that, but the whole process could only take one visit to complete, so you leave with a full smile. The dental implants mean the new teeth can stay in place for decades to come, possibly a lifetime. If you are also missing structure in your face and jaw, we could create maxillofacial prosthetics that also address facial structure in the inside and outside of the mouth and face.
Schedule a Visit to Enjoy a Full Smile Again
The team at Modern Dentistry of Shrewsbury in MA are ready to help you smile without hesitation by addressing your missing teeth. To schedule an appointment with us, call our office today at 508-842-8838.
