Losing a tooth is serious
Granted, when you lose a tooth there is not enough education out there to emphasize how serious that is. It seems only aesthetic on the surface but it’s much more than that in terms of your health. What follows when you lose a tooth can have a serious impact on daily life due to:
Bone disintegration
This by far is the most impactful consequence of a missing tooth. The jawbone is a key structure in the skeletal system. It is responsible for a major portion of your overall health. Think about it, your jawbone allows you to eat, drink, breathe, and more. On the emotional side it shows emotions and to communicate. It really is often taken for granted because we are so accustomed to using it without thinking. When you lose your teeth, there is nothing to keep the bone stimulated. This weakens it and over time it disintegrates, causing a whole horde of problems. Your face begins to sink in, you struggle to chew, you can’t speak the same. Early action is the key to avoiding this serious but curable problem.
Chewing trouble
When teeth are lost it disrupts the alignment of the remaining teeth, altering the mechanics of your mouth. This causes trouble and discomfort with chewing food and often requires a dramatic change in diet. Often those changes are to soft foods or pureed meals—this can be disheartening for just about anyone. Remaining teeth also tend to shift out of position causing severe misalignment and even more problems. More importantly, it can lead to rapid onset of oral infection due to increased trapped food particles.
Overall quality of life decreases
Since the missing teeth impede chewing, which also changes your diet, you may find life less appealing. You can’t just go enjoy a dinner out with friends because you may be very restricted on food options. More importantly the limitation on foods could also mean missing key nutrients your body needs. Digestion is critical to absorption of nutrients from food, and proper chewing plays a major role.