Does Losing A Single Tooth Matter?

All too often, we accept the loss of a single tooth without much concern, but here’s why it’s likely a mistake

Few of us will be lucky enough to go through life without having to have at least one tooth extracted or perhaps lost due to a youthful accident. Assuming that the lost tooth is an adult one, there will be no replacement tooth to come through afterwards, unlike our childhood teeth. This presents a dilemma. What do we do, leave the gap or replace it with a denture or dental implant?

This dilemma is often resolved if the tooth that has been lost is one of the more visible teeth at the front of the mouth. Few people are likely to be happy leaving a gap there and are almost certain to take steps to complete their teeth in order to avoid that gappy smile. The same cannot always be said if the tooth is one that others won’t see, such as towards the rear of the mouth. On one level, this is understandable as it doesn’t at least immediately change your appearance, but there are other possible consequences as we will now see.

Single tooth loss and possible problems

Having ruled out the possibility of losing a tooth changing the way that we look, what other reasons might there be for us to encourage our Epsom patients to replace a missing tooth that is not visible? Actually, there are a few good reasons.

Crooked teeth

One consequence of losing a tooth that may not occur to some of our Clocktower Dental Implant & Facial Centre patients is that it can cause the rest of your teeth to start to move. This is because, with a full set of teeth, there is nowhere for your teeth to go as other teeth around them prevent their movement. Once a tooth has been lost though, this inevitably creates a space and the teeth on either side of the gap can start to move gradually, leaning towards that space.

Even if you feel that this isn’t too big of a problem as these teeth are also hidden, remember that, like a set of falling dominoes, once those teeth start to move, they also create spaces for others to move. Although this won’t happen quickly, you may well eventually end up with a mouthful of crooked teeth that would require orthodontics like Invisalign to correct the problem.

Teeth cleaning difficulties

Even if any tooth movement doesn’t result in unsightly crooked teeth, there will almost certainly be some movement. This may not be too highly visible but it can lead to problems when it comes to cleaning your teeth.

Even small movements of the teeth can cause them to press firmly against each other, and in some cases may cause them to overlap. These tight spaces can be very difficult to keep clean, not only by regular brushing but also even using dental floss. It only takes a tiny amount of trapped food or bacteria that doesn’t get removed to start the process of decay of the tooth enamel. This may well go unnoticed by you for some time before your dentist detects this during your regular check up and restores the tooth with a filling.

Naturally, as these problems can accumulate over time, it is all the more important that you make sure to keep regular six monthly appointments with one of our Epsom dental team so that any problems that exist can be treated before the problem becomes more significant and requires more extensive treatment.

Replacing a missing tooth

Having decided then, for the reasons we mention above, that you will replace your missing tooth, what are the options available to you? Essentially, there are three.

Dentures – These are often the option chosen by people, largely because they are well known and have been used for a very long time. They are a compromise though as they lack the security and stability of a natural tooth while offering a reasonable aesthetic option.

Bridge –  A bridge offers more security than a denture but is a choice ruled out by many as they require the preparation of teeth on either side of the missing tooth. Understandably, people often don’t want work carried out on teeth that are healthy.

Dental implants – A more modern but increasingly popular option for tooth replacement is the tooth implant. This replaces not only the crown part of the tooth, but the root too. This provides excellent strength and stability as well as preventing bone loss and should certainly be considered.

As always, the team at the Clocktower Dental, Implant & Facial Centre are always on hand to offer you impartial advice about any oral care issues you have and your treatment options to resolve them. If you would like to make an appointment to see us, you can do so by calling us on 01372 720136.