The National Statistics of Dental and Craniofacial Research estimates that adults aged 20 to 64 have an average of 24.92 remaining teeth. That’s almost eight less than the required number of teeth to maintain the oral cavity’s full functionality. To a cosmetic dentist in Lehigh Valley, such a vast area of empty gums and underlying bone structure entail a series of changes in the mouth’s structure.
What happens to the neighboring teeth?
The teeth depend on each other to maintain a perfect vertical growth. Remove one of them and the balance will be disrupted. Soon the adjacent teeth will start tilting or drifting toward the empty gum space, making them difficult to clean and therefore prone to decay. The rest of the teeth may follow the drift if nothing is done to restore the balance.
What happens under the gums?
Hidden inside the gum tissue, right between the teeth and the jawbone, is the alveolar bone. This is a layer of bone that provides support for the teeth and attachment point for muscles involved in the teeth’s functionality. Besides the minerals the body absorbs from food, this bone depends on the stresses created by the movement of the mouth, particularly when chewing and speaking.
Without the teeth creating a downward force every time food is being nibbled or chewed, the alveolar will not have the stress needed to rebuild itself. As a result, it will start melting away along with the bone structure underneath it. Such a rough change can cause deformation in the maxillofacial structure, as seen in old people who have lost all their teeth. This change can occur as quickly as a year after tooth loss.
Dental Implant
The only method that can completely prevent the series of unwanted changes in the oral cavity’s structure due to tooth loss is to replace the missing teeth. While a removable denture (the most common tooth replacement solution) can restore the look of the teeth, it won’t provide the support necessary to prevent other teeth from tilting and to maintain the pressure the alveolar bone needs to regrow.
Dental implant is a more viable option. It replaces not just the tooth’s crown but also its root. It’s the tooth root that maintains the connection between the crown and the underlying bone structure and therefore the one responsible for keeping the balance between the components of the oral cavity. Because dental implant is made of a titanium alloy, it’s expected to perform even more efficient than a real tooth root, which is basically made of hard tissues.
To ensure that your dental implant is installed safely and correctly, trust a dentist from a reputable dental office like Brookside Dental Care.
What happens to the neighboring teeth?
The teeth depend on each other to maintain a perfect vertical growth. Remove one of them and the balance will be disrupted. Soon the adjacent teeth will start tilting or drifting toward the empty gum space, making them difficult to clean and therefore prone to decay. The rest of the teeth may follow the drift if nothing is done to restore the balance.
What happens under the gums?
Hidden inside the gum tissue, right between the teeth and the jawbone, is the alveolar bone. This is a layer of bone that provides support for the teeth and attachment point for muscles involved in the teeth’s functionality. Besides the minerals the body absorbs from food, this bone depends on the stresses created by the movement of the mouth, particularly when chewing and speaking.
Without the teeth creating a downward force every time food is being nibbled or chewed, the alveolar will not have the stress needed to rebuild itself. As a result, it will start melting away along with the bone structure underneath it. Such a rough change can cause deformation in the maxillofacial structure, as seen in old people who have lost all their teeth. This change can occur as quickly as a year after tooth loss.
Dental Implant
The only method that can completely prevent the series of unwanted changes in the oral cavity’s structure due to tooth loss is to replace the missing teeth. While a removable denture (the most common tooth replacement solution) can restore the look of the teeth, it won’t provide the support necessary to prevent other teeth from tilting and to maintain the pressure the alveolar bone needs to regrow.
Dental implant is a more viable option. It replaces not just the tooth’s crown but also its root. It’s the tooth root that maintains the connection between the crown and the underlying bone structure and therefore the one responsible for keeping the balance between the components of the oral cavity. Because dental implant is made of a titanium alloy, it’s expected to perform even more efficient than a real tooth root, which is basically made of hard tissues.
To ensure that your dental implant is installed safely and correctly, trust a dentist from a reputable dental office like Brookside Dental Care.
