04/25/2024
Did you know missing teeth (yes, even the back ones) can cause a world of problems? Here are 5 things that can (and will) happen when you have missing teeth.
1. Your face will appear sunken in or collapsed: if you don’t have back teeth your cheek muscles are no longer supported and will result in your face appearing sunken in. Additionally, you no longer have jaw support and your face will appear shorter.
2. Your teeth will start to shift: everything in your body likes to be in harmony…including your teeth. When teeth are missing, the other teeth they were once touching (whether beside, above or below) will start to shift because they need something to touch or support. Or like one of my assistants would say, “they’re looking for their friend” LOL. You may require more extensive work (such as braces or crowns) to correct this if caught soon enough. Unfortunately, their “little friend” is long gone and this causes your bite to be off and unstable, which leads to #3…
3. You can potentially lose other teeth: those teeth can shift so much that we have no chance of correcting it with either a restoration or braces and you’ll have to remove those teeth as well!
4. Your teeth will not function properly: each tooth has a specific function. The front teeth bite into food and the back teeth grind the food down and prepare it for the digestive system. If you’re missing front teeth, now the back teeth are doing something they designed to do and if the back teeth are missing then the front teeth are doing something they aren’t designed to do. This can lead to severely worn or broken teeth. Also, if food isn’t properly chewed before reaching your stomach you can end up with digestive problems!
5. You can start to have problems with your jaw joint: with the back teeth missing your jaw joint is no longer supported and the front teeth are now being used more for things they aren’t designed to do. The front teeth will now wear down and your jaw will collapse. This is going to lead to problems with your jaw joint, resulting in pain, clicking, popping, locking or ringing in your ears.
(Continued in the comments…)
