Every person, as a child everyone grows twenty baby teeth by the time they reach three years of age. These baby teeth are placeholders for adult teeth to grow into as the baby teeth come loose and fall out. As adults, almost everyone has 32 adult teeth under normal circumstances.

Many people have experienced the loss of an adult tooth by age 50-65 due to accidents, oral trauma, tooth decay or other reasons. A missing tooth is more than just a visual stigmatism—it can have a serious impact on your overall health if not treated. A missing tooth should be evaluated by a dentist that specializes in cosmetic dentistry in San Antonio if you want to maintain the integrity of your oral health and not experience other side effects a missing tooth can cause.

What Causes Tooth Loss?

There are many causes for tooth loss, in some instances a person might simply never been born with that tooth in the first place—or the adult tooth never broke through to replace a fallen baby tooth. Some people have accidents that involve dental trauma that knocks a tooth loose. The most common cause fortooth loss though,is tooth decay and gum disease. If you do not visit your local San Antonio dentist to treat gum disease it leads to inflammation and recession of the gums. In severe cases gum disease attacks the root of the tooth and the jawbone which causes the tooth to lose its support and come loose, dislodging from the jaw. This in turncan have some everydifficult and life-altering side effects.

Effects of a Lost Tooth

Teeth are all dependent on each other, each one plays an important role in the way the mouth is structured. When there is a gap in the teeth it disrupts the structural integrity of the rest of the teeth and cause stress, bite issues, grinding and more. If you have a lost tooth it should be dealt with ASAP by a qualified practice focuses on cosmetic dentistry in San Antonio. If you don’t have it taken care of you could experience one or all of these discomforting issues:

Ability to Speak

Although it depends on where in the mouth you lose a tooth, speech usually is the first thing that is impacted significantly. You might articulate words differently, develop a lisp, or have trouble speaking due to a combination of speech issues as a result of a missing tooth. The good news is that cosmetic dentistry in San Antonio has come a long way in natural feeling tooth replacements.

Bite Alignment Issues

As we discussed, when you lose one or more of your teeth, the remaining begin to lose structural integrity and shift due to chewing and speaking and misalignment due to the missing tooth. As you chew or speak, pressure on the teeth adjusts to overcompensate for the missing teeth and this creates pressure that causes remaining teeth to shift and neighboring teeth to try and move into the place of the lost tooth.

Susceptible To Gum Disease

When there is a gap between teeth where a tooth used to be, it is an easy target for food and bacteria to get trapped and turn into an infection of the gums. Without a proper oral care regiment including flossing, mouth rinse, andregular brushing—your gums are at a higher risk for gum disease along with many other problems.

Less Than Flattering Appearance

When you have missing teeth, especially those from the front of the mouth which arethe most visible in social scenarios—it can drastically bring down your self-confidence and change your interaction with others. Over time, with some people, that can spiral down into a deep depression and unwillingness to venture out in public.

Options for Replacing Lost Teeth

Despite the serious repercussions of losing a tooth, there are actually some great solutions that offer varying degrees of restoration. Cosmetic dentistry in San Antonio has come a long way in the advanced methods of tooth restoration and some of them are cutting-edge, with high tech materials and permanency like never before.

Dental Implants

Cosmetic dentistry in San Antonio has seen dental implants skyrocket in popularity over the last decade and for good reason. Modern dental implants in San Antonio are available as customized as your very own teeth themselves. They offer a permanent, indistinguishable from natural teeth solution to restore missing teeth. An implant has many advantages due to the high-end medical grade materials they are made of and never need removal for cleaning like other less advanced solutions. Not only that, but a dental implant actually strengthens the jawbone as it fully bonds with the remaining bone surface to create a bond as strong as the original root, yet it will never decay. Dental implants can last a lifetime with proper care and require no adjustment period, they feel just like natural teeth. Even though they cannot decay—implants still need proper dental care to prevent gum disease and oral infections.

Fixed Bridges

Bridges are an older technology that offers a more economical solution but not permanent or as natural feeling as dental implants. A bridge is a piece consisting of false teeth that are on a frame and then use the neighboring teeth to attach to and stabilize. This can take some getting used to and can also cause irritation in the mouth. Alternatively, depending on how many teeth are missing, implants can be placed and the bridge frame can be attached there instead of the neighboring teeth.

Full Or Partial Dentures

Dentures, with the advances in cosmetic dentistry, are not as popular as they were in their heyday—especially for younger patients. However, dentures, depending on how many teeth have been lost might be a more economical option at least on the front-end. They do need to be removed and cleaned often, and adhesive to stick them in place can be messy—but if cash flow is a problem for you, then dentures may be more feasible. It should be noted though—dentureswill likely need to be replaced every 5 years or so potentially; so in the long run, dental implants in San Antonio may actually endup costing the same or slightly less than dentures due to their longevity. Pearl Dentistry also has numerous financing options available for patients that cannot afford dental implants upfront. Often, dental implants in San Antonio can be had for a very modest monthly payment.

Missing A Tooth Or More? Don’t Let It Go Untreated

You don’t have to live with missing teeth in San Antonio, Pearl Dentistry has been ahead of the industry when it comes to dental implants in San Antonio and we can find a solution for your missing teeth that matches your need andyour budget. Contact us today to find out your options!