Should you Replace your Tooth after an Extraction?
Should you Replace your Tooth after an Extraction?
For a variety of reasons you may have recently had a tooth extracted or are missing a tooth. Some individuals may not see the importance of replacing the tooth or may not see the value in spending more time and money on an artificial replacement.
However, for your dental health and to preserve the functionality of your teeth and jaw, it is vital to replace a missing or extracted tooth.
Reasons you should Replace an Extracted Tooth
All of your teeth have an important job to do in your mouth. Your teeth allow you to chew and make your food more digestible so you can receive the most nutrition out of what you eat. Teeth aid in the pronunciation of words and make it easier to speak. Missing teeth can also have an impact on our appearance. But, these are not the worst of what can happen if you do not replace missing teeth.
Malocclusion describes a number of conditions that affect the alignment of your teeth or bite. A type of malocclusion can occur when you don’t replace missing teeth. The teeth next to the space left by the extracted or missing tooth will shift toward each other and try to fill the space. This occurrence results in a partial gap and crooked teeth, which are difficult to clean and maintain. This shift in the alignment of your teeth will also have a negative impact on your bite and the way you chew your food.
Additionally, an empty tooth socket in the mouth opens the opportunity for a neighboring tooth to super erupt. This is when a neighboring tooth tries to compensate for the missing tooth by growing and filling the gap since there is nothing there to stop it.
Besides the possibility of having a mouth of overgrown or crooked teeth, you are also at risk of bone resorption or bone loss. Without teeth to support that area of your mouth, your gums and jaw bone begin to deteriorate as there is no stimuli. The bone loss will also cause your cheeks and lips to look sunken in, instantly ageing you.
The Various Options to Replace Missing Teeth
To avoid such outcomes, it is advised that the patient invest in their future dental health by opting for a replacement tooth. The type of replacement will depend on the severity of the case and how many teeth need to be replaced, as well as, what the patient can afford.
The most popular choice is dental implants since the device acts like an artificial tooth root on which a crown is anchored. This option gives the patient a more structurally complete replacement. Implants also have a lifelike appearance and preserve much of the functionality that was contributed by the natural tooth.
Another option is a dental bridge that spans the space of the missing tooth. These devices are made up of two or more dental crowns and a false tooth. The bridge is cemented to the surrounding natural teeth or a dental implant.
An alternative to the above procedures is partial dentures. They have a gum-colored plastic base, much like a retainer, with false teeth attached. It clasps onto the patient’s natural teeth and can be easily inserted and removed.
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