Are you ready to get a tooth replaced?

Losing a tooth for whatever reason can have a knock on effect that can cause real problems down the line.

Lose enough, and your quality of life itself can be greatly reduced due to your food choice being severely limited by your inability to chew.

This in turn can cause you to have lower nutritional levels than you actually need which affects your overall health.

If that wasn’t enough this can lead to your appearance being greatly affected and looking years older than you actually are.

That’s one heck of a domino effect isn’t it! To need a tooth implant you must either already have a tooth missing or need one removing. Here we are having a look at 5 common reasons why patients need dental implants after losing their natural teeth.

Decay

The number one reason for tooth loss in the world, poor dental hygiene, smoking and certain medication can all lead to a tooth decay. Ideally a filling will solve the problem but many leave it too late.

Once a rotten tooth reaches a certain stage there is no alternative but to remove it, thus leaving a gap. This is when you have the options of either leaving it and having a gap, having a denture fitted or taking the smart route and having a dental implant.

Trauma

Loss of a tooth or teeth from trauma can happen in lots of different ways.

You can lose it in an accident or a fight. Those suffering from epilepsy can break teeth while having a convulsion.

Trauma can also go undetected in teeth, such as a root fracture for example, and only further down the line does it become apparent when such a serious infection sets in that the tooth must be removed.

Depending on the severity of the trauma, and how it occurred, the bone itself can be damaged as well as the tooth. In this instance your dentist will advise you as to whether there is still enough viable bone to support an implant or whether you will need a bone graft.

Side effects of medication

Your teeth and gums can be adversely affected by many medications. These included prescription meds, over the counter drugs, vitamins and even herbal supplements.

The issues range from a dry mouth through taste alterations and even bone loss. A side effect of many a prescription drug is receding gums. This leaves more of your tooth exposed that is healthy. And as this is part of the tooth which should be protected by the gums it is more prone to attack and can decay quicker that the rest of a tooth.

Unfortunately, some drugs are vital for conditions such as epilepsy and the side effects come as part of the package. It is never pleasant knowing that you are likely to lose teeth due to taking the drugs you need to live a normal life but at least you have the knowledge that an implant can make you look as though it never happened.

Gum disease

There are two main types of gum disease which can cause tooth loss; gingivitis and periodontitis, also known as pyorrhea. As one leads to the other it is vital to deal with the first stage gum disease, gingivitis, as early as possible.

Red and swollen gums which bleed when you clean your teeth are early signs of gum disease that you shouldn’t ignore. However, many do and it becomes so severe that the second stage, periodontitis, sets in.

Spongy gums and bad breath are two of the outward signs of periodontitis, which is why it is also widely known as trench mouth. Infection sets in in the pocket between the gum and the tooth and left untreated, tooth loss is almost inevitable.

Congenital absences

The loss of baby teeth to make way for the adult set is something most of us take for granted. However, there are some who don’t have an adult tooth or teeth to replace the baby set.

Likewise, some people’s baby teeth, admittedly usually only one or two, don’t drop out and stay with them into adulthood.

Unfortunately as baby teeth do not have the same strength they will eventually have to be removed but the space left is nowhere near as big as that left by the removal of an adult tooth.

As dental implants are made to measure these are particularly beneficial for those who do suffer from congenital absences.

To book your consultation call 01202 487888.