What do you see when you smile at the mirror? If there’s a hole in your grin, we’re betting that your eyes go right to it. And you’re not the only one noticing the missing tooth – those around you can’t help but pay attention to the gap.
While it’s most immediately apparent, your appearance isn’t the only problem with a lost tooth. Allowing the gap to persist could put your health and happiness at risk. And the more time you spend with an incomplete smile, the more damage will be done.
Your dental situation doesn’t need to control you. Take charge of your smile and its health. Tooth replacement will keep more serious issues from developing, and improve your daily life along the way. While there are a few ways to rebuild your smile, Cherry Creek Dentistry recommends dental implants for patients ready to make a big change. Read on for our reasons why.
Confidence Follows a Beautiful Smile
If your smile isn’t up to snuff, you probably have misgivings about sharing it with the world. This leads to you covering your smile and your laughter with your hands, or keeping your lips closed in the first place. When you’re not showing your full smile, you don’t look as friendly or comfortable with your interactions. And the people around you pick up on that. Ultimately, your inner self is affected by your appearance, and you feel less confident.
Rebuilding your smile is the key to an ongoing confidence boost. You’ll look amazing, and feeling amazing will follow. It’s incredible how our outer selves dictate our inner feelings. And a high confidence level is never a bad thing – rather, it leads to personal success.
Missing Teeth Damage Your Oral Health
In addition to hampering your appearance and confidence, lost teeth take a toll on your oral health. Once there’s a space in your smile, it could effect some of the following changes:
- Lost bone density – Your bone strength is so important. The skeletal system is the framework that supports the rest of your body. In the case of your jaw bones, they rely on tooth roots to maintain their structure. When a tooth is missing, the bone that once attached to it begins to resorb (dissolve).
- Change in facial structure – The loss of a tooth, and accompanying loss of bone, can lead to altered facial structure. This allows your skin to sag, and leads to a prematurely aged appearance.
- Greater chance of cavities and gum disease – The hole left by a missing tooth fosters bacterial growth – it’s moist, dark, and difficult to access with a toothbrush. This leads to the development of cavities and periodontal disease.
- Shifting bite – The teeth surrounding the gap shift to fill in that empty space. When this happens, the rest of your bite changes. This can lead to problems with chewing, cavities in hard-to-reach spots, and even jaw disorders.
Putting a Full Smile Back in Place – How Dental Implants Can Help
You’re eager to rebuild your smile as quickly as possible. While dental implants take a little longer to complete the restorative process. they more than make up for this with their longevity.
A dental implant connects to the jaw bone, where it integrates with natural bone tissue. This allows it to form form a strong foundation for an accompanying restoration. Once a dental implant has bonded with your bone, it will last for decades (and even for life). It also allows restorations to thrive without drawing on the strength of neighboring structures (and weakening your remaining teeth). These factors make tooth replacement with an implant the smartest, most thorough way to restore a tooth.
Interested in learning more about implants? We’d love to talk with you. Simply get in touch.