Mill Valley Dental Implant Dentists Talks About What Happens To Your Smile After Tooth Loss

Written by Dr. McConnell on Sep 21, 2021

Adult tooth loss can start a domino effect of oral health problems, which is why it is so important to treat tooth loss in a timely manner. High quality treatment improves aesthetics while restoring functionality and dental stability. Today, our Mill Valley dental implant dentists are talking about common side effects of tooth loss. Keep reading to learn more…

Dental Alignment

Tooth loss is not just about a hole in your smile. It can also cause adjacent teeth to shift, which can lead to dental crowding and bite problems post-tooth loss. You may find that your dental aesthetics change, that your bite is less functional, and that it is more difficult than usual to keep your smile clean and healthy.

Jawbone

Your teeth are held in place by tooth roots that extend into your jawbone tissue. Unfortunately, when a tooth root is missing, the surrounding jawbone tissue can start to weaken and break down. You may experience increased rates of infection around the site of tooth loss, as well as a degradation of jawbone density.

Additional Tooth Loss  

All of this leaves you at risk for losing more teeth over time. You want to do everything you can to support the underlying structure of your smile, so that your natural teeth are able to remain strong, healthy, and intact for years to come. For most patients, this means pursuing restorative treatment to replace missing teeth with high quality facsimiles.

The good news is that now, thanks to dental implant technology, it is easier than ever before to get the restorative and aesthetic care you need. If you want to learn more, please feel free to reach out to our Mill Valley dental implant dentists—we’re here to help!