The Importance of Replacing Missing Teeth

Losing a tooth isn’t only about aesthetics. It may also affect your oral health, confidence, and overall well-being. Whether from an injury, gum disease, or decay, a missing tooth can lead to misalignment, jawbone deterioration, and even difficulty speaking and eating.

At our East Los Angeles office, our compassionate dentists at LA Dental Town offer a range of solutions to restore your smile and protect your long-term oral health. Here’s why replacing missing teeth is so important.

Shifting teeth

Your teeth work together to help you chew food, support proper alignment, and maintain facial structure. While teeth naturally shift over time, they rely on each other for stability. When a tooth is lost, the remaining may drift out of place, causing:

• Uneven tooth wear
• Bite problems
• Extra stress on the temporomandibular joint (TMJ)
• Loose teeth
• More tooth loss

These issues may lead to other dental problems like temporomandibular joint disorder , a chronic pain condition that may lead to TMJ pain, headaches, or lockjaw. 

The shifting of teeth also creates more spaces for bacteria to collect, increasing risk of gum disease.

Deterioration of jawbone

Your teeth do more than help you chew. They also play an essential role in maintaining jawbone strength.

The visible part of your tooth is only a small portion of the entire tooth. The tooth root makes up about two-thirds of the entire tooth, extending below the gum and into the jawbone, holding the tooth in place. The tooth root also stimulates jawbone production when you chew. 

Like muscle, you need to work your bones to keep them strong. Chewing exerts force on the jawbone, activating the living tissue to build up resistance (grow stronger). When you lose a tooth, the force disappears, leading to bone loss over time. 

Signs of bone loss include:

• Changes in facial structure
• Wrinkles around your mouth
• Sunken lips
• Difficulty chewing or speaking

Without replacement, the ongoing bone loss may cause you to lose more of your teeth and require more extensive dental interventions. 

Dental options for missing teeth

Fortunately, there are different ways to replace missing teeth. We offer many solutions, including dental implants, crowns, and bridges as replacement options.

Dental implants are a tooth root replacement that we place into the jawbone, mimicking the actions of the natural tooth root to prevent jawbone deterioration. Placement of the implant into the bone also provides a secure fix for your missing tooth.

Crowns and bridges fill in the visible gap from the missing tooth. We place crowns on dental implants and use them to secure a dental bridge. 

If you’re missing a tooth, don’t wait until it leads to bigger dental issues. Schedule an appointment with one of our skilled dentists by calling our Los Angeles, California, office today at 323-887-0088.