Adult tooth loss can result in a myriad of consequences. Some being a reduced function, decay, and further loss of remaining teeth. A missing tooth can make it difficult to properly chew food and clean your teeth, resulting in further decay.
A lost tooth isn't just bad for your smile, it's bad for your oral health. An empty socket in the gums is at high risk for infection, and the teeth nearest to the gap may shift to “fill in.” Losing multiple teeth only increases the potential long-term damage to your mouth.
Call Your Dentist Right Away
If you've had a tooth knocked out, don't wait until it's too late. Contact your emergency dentist right away. Kent Dental Clinic is committed to providing our patients with the high-quality care they need for lasting oral health.
A permanent tooth, once lost, will not grow back. If your tooth moves more than 1 millimeter, it can be a sign of underlying dental problems or injury requiring a dental checkup.
Will an Adult Tooth Grow Back? No, your child's adult teeth will not grow back — we only have one set of these! If they lose a permanent tooth, your best bet is to save the tooth and bring it along immediately to the dentist, where there is a chance they can repair or replace it.
So, the average 21 year old American starts their adult life with 28 teeth but by the time they reach 44 years old, 69% have lost at least one tooth, by the age of 50 they have lost 12 teeth (including wisdom teeth) and by age 74, 26% have lost all of their teeth.
Age, illness, injury, and infection all take their toll on your teeth. If you've lost one or two over the years and haven't addressed the gaps because you think it's no big deal, think again. Lost teeth are often the starting point for more serious conditions.
Although most people will end up with a complete set of thirty-two permanent teeth, sometimes one or more teeth may fail to develop. This hypodontia is one of the most common developmental abnormalities in dentistry, with up to 20% of all adults missing at least one tooth.
The procedure for extracting multiple teeth at once is a bit more complicated than a simple single tooth extraction. You can live without one or two teeth without major consequences, but losing several teeth at once requires the jawbone to be reshaped to prepare for a dental bridge or dentures.
Studies suggest that severe tooth loss can reduce life expectancy by increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and other medical conditions. Fortunately, dental implants may be able to greatly minimize these risks.
Plenty. Every tooth you lose can negatively affect your overall health, and the longer you wait to replace it, the greater your risk for losing even more teeth, as well as other issues.
Feeling embarrassed by missing teeth is very common, but even if you're missing one, two, or more teeth, you're absolutely not alone.
Tooth decay, gum disease, and injury are common causes of missing teeth. Some people are born without certain teeth, and this condition is called congenitally missing teeth. Genetic factors cause congenitally missing teeth and this condition is often seen in generations of a family.
Around 50% of the population is missing at least 1 tooth, or around 178 million Americans. And 40 million Americans are missing all of their teeth.
Frank Medina, otherwise known as the "King of Windmills," has never had a cavity in his life. That would not be so unusual, except that he is 94 years old. Ripley's Believe it or Not calls him the “oldest man in the world with all his teeth who has never had a cavity."
As soon as a week goes by, your teeth' enamel will start to break down. The plaque that hasn't been removed will make it easy for bad breath to grow. A dirty tooth will make it hard to clean. You will have a greater chance of getting cavities if you don't brush your teeth for a week.
In all these cases, researchers concluded that depression and anxiety were related to tooth loss. Poor self confidence, poor diet and pain are often the unfortunate consequences of tooth loss that can result in depression.
When there's a gap in your teeth because of a missing tooth, there's space for bacteria, tartar, and plaque to get into your gum line. This puts you at greater risk of gum disease. Once gum disease sets in, you're at greater risk for some serious medical conditions such as heart disease and stroke.
If you think tooth loss only affects a small percentage of people, think again: Experts estimate that about 178 million men and women (69% of adults) in the United States have lost at least one tooth. Roughly 40 million Americans (15% of adults) are missing all their natural teeth.
When teeth are missing the jaw bone starts to shrink and the muscles of the face begin to sag. This will change the shape of your face. You may develop sunken cheeks and a receding jaw thus making you look older than you actually are.
Missing Teeth Can Make You Look Older:
Signs of premature aging due to tooth loss include the following facial profile changes: Facial angles – When we lose teeth, we also lose the height of the jawbone, which lowers the facial height too. Change in angulation can alter face shape and make noses appear larger.
After you undergo a tooth extraction, you will need to replace the missing tooth or teeth. If the teeth are not replaced, the bones in your mouth can weaken and lose density. Other teeth also might shift, and you might experience trouble eating. Fortunately, you have several replacement options for missing teeth.
People with hypodontia are born with missing teeth. In other words, their teeth never develop. Hypodontia specifically refers to one to six missing teeth. The most common cause of hypodontia is heredity, which means biological parents pass the condition to their children.
The most commonly missing teeth are the third molars, mandibular second molars, maxillary permanent lateral incisors, and maxillary second premolars. In contrast, the least commonly missing permanent teeth are the maxillary central incisors, the maxillary and mandibular first molars, and the mandibular canines.