How Missing Teeth Can Affect Your Overall Health

If you have missing teeth, it’s vital for your oral and overall health to get your smile restored.

How Does Missing Teeth Affect Your Oral Health?

There are a number of ways that missing teeth can affect your oral health, and there have even been studies that show that your risks to your dental health actually increase with each missing tooth. If you have missing teeth, your jawbone can actually shrink and your gums can recede. Missing teeth can also increase your risk of gum disease because when your gums recede they create pockets and bacteria can grow in these and that can lead to gum disease. This weakens the teeth on either side of your missing teeth and increases the risk that the adjacent teeth will be more inclined to develop tooth decay and plaque buildup. If you have a missing tooth, the surrounding teeth can grow into the gap, making your teeth crooked and/or your mouth crowded.

How Does Missing Teeth Affect Your Overall Health?

In addition to affecting your oral health, missing teeth affect your overall health too. If you allow any oral health issues that have been created due to your missing teeth (like tooth decay or gum disease) to go untreated, it can lead to very serious health issues. For example, tooth decay causes infections and inflammation if it’s not treated and this can actually lead to strokes, clogged arteries, or even cardiovascular disease. Further, bad bacteria and germs that are found in a mouth with oral health issues can spread through your bloodstream to your heart, causing endocarditis, an infection of the inner lining of your heart. Additionally, there have been studies that have shown that pregnant women who have gum disease are more likely to give birth prematurely due to the levels of chemicals that induce labor spiking in the body. Missing teeth can also make your entire face cave in, making you look older.

How Can You Fix Missing Teeth?

As mentioned above, it is vital that you seek treatment for missing teeth or you may incur serious oral and overall health issues. If you are missing teeth, we can help you by treating you with dentures or a bridge. A bridge is used when you are missing one or a few teeth. The way a bridge works is that crowns are placed on either side of the missing tooth and then the bridge is attached to the crowns and the replacement teeth are attached to the bridge so they fill the gap and your smile looks and feels natural. Dentures are often used when you are missing most or all of your natural teeth. We are proud to offer affordable dentures that will be custom made just for you so you have the smile of your dreams.

Restorative Dentistry at Springhurst Hills Dentistry

If you have missing teeth, give us a call today to schedule a consultation to find the best treatment option for you. We look forward to hearing from you!

Posted on behalf of Dr. Lan Tran, Springhurst Hills Dentistry