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Tooth and Bone Loss - Hixson, TN

Tooth and Bone Loss

Tooth loss is more common than many think—more than 178 million Americans are missing at least one tooth. Teeth can be lost for a variety of reasons, including disease, injury, birth defects, or decay. However, many dental and health problems can result from tooth loss or removal. Within the first year of a tooth being missing and unreplaced, jaw bone deterioration begins. This can cause a change in your facial appearance, shifting teeth, loose teeth and even further tooth loss. Without adequate bone volume, dental implants are not able to be placed and a bone graft will be necessary to restore what has been lost.

Ways Tooth and Bone Loss can Happen

Tooth and Bone Loss Hixson, TN

Diet +

Without properly aligned teeth, an individual might not be able to chew correctly, and diet could be affected. With missing teeth, or no teeth altogether, chewing becomes very difficult or impossible. The diet then becomes restricted to soft, easily chewed foods. This kind of diet might not meet the nutrition needs of the body which can cause constipation, weight loss, arthritis, indigestion, and rheumatism. Teeth are important to meeting the nutritional needs of the body. Without them, the health of the body can be severely impacted.

Speech +

Teeth play a major part in speech. Some letter sounds such as s, z, d, x, n, th, and sh are made with tongue-to-tooth contact. Without teeth, these sounds will not be able to be made easily and may result in a lisp. Lisping can be an embarrassing condition and may make it hard for you to be understood. The tongue is also affected by lost teeth. With no teeth to keep it in place, the tongue will broaden out and fill in the newly open space. This thickened tongue makes it harder to control and may also result in difficult-to-understand speech.

Bone Loss in the Jaw +

Teeth do more than just help us chew our food and speak. They actually serve to stimulate the bone in the jaw. Each time you chew, the teeth stimulate the bone. Without this natural stimulation, the alveolar bone–the portion of the jawbone that anchors teeth in the mouth–begins to break down and is re-absorbed into the body. Since there are no longer teeth there that “need” the jawbone, the bone deteriorates and disintegrates. The rate of deterioration varies per person; however, it begins almost immediately after a tooth is lost or removed and continues throughout life. Once deterioration reaches a certain point, dental prosthetics–such as dentures–will no longer be useful because there will not be enough bone to support them.

Misalignment +

Misalignment occurs when teeth no longer have an opposing tooth structure. The tooth with no counterpart can become loose, and the bone supporting it may begin to deteriorate because of lack of stimulation. Losing even one tooth may cause the remaining teeth to shift their position, altering an individual’s bite pattern and leading to pain in the head, neck, and jaw.

Facial Appearance +

Teeth are also designed to hold the lips and cheeks in place. When teeth are missing, the lips and cheeks do not have their natural support system. When closed, the mouth will appear “sunken in” without the support of the teeth. This can age the appearance of the person greatly.

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