Losing a tooth or missing multiple teeth can impact your oral health and how your smile looks. As a dental concern, lost teeth can negatively impact your remaining natural teeth, your overall oral health, and your confidence. Dr. Efthimios Koveos treats missing teeth in Sarasota, FL, with restorative dentistry services. He can improve how your teeth look and function.
What Causes Tooth Loss?
Tooth loss can happen for many reasons, and it’s more common than you might think. Losing a tooth doesn’t just affect your smile, it can also impact how you eat, speak, and feel about yourself. At Integrated Dental in Sarasota, FL, Dr. Koveos helps patients understand the causes of tooth loss and how to prevent it.
One of the most common causes of tooth loss is gum disease, also called periodontal disease. This is an infection of the gums and the bone that supports your teeth. If not treated, gum disease can cause the gums to pull away from the teeth. Over time, a gum infection can lead to loose teeth and eventually tooth loss. We’ll treat gum disease before we replace your lost teeth so you don’t experience more tooth loss.
Tooth decay, also known as cavities, is another major reason people lose their teeth. When decay becomes severe, it can damage the inside of the tooth and reach the root. If the tooth can’t be saved with a filling or root canal, it may need to be removed. Poor oral hygiene, sugary foods and drinks, and skipping dental cleanings can increase your risk of decay.
Injury or trauma is also a common cause. A fall, sports injury, or car accident can knock out a tooth or damage it so badly that it has to be removed. Wearing a mouthguard during sports can help protect your teeth from injury.
Teeth grinding, also known as bruxism, can wear down your teeth over time. If left untreated, grinding can weaken teeth and make them more likely to break or fall out. In some cases, medical conditions like diabetes or osteoporosis can also lead to tooth loss. These conditions can affect your bone health and increase your risk for gum disease.
No matter the cause, tooth loss doesn’t have to be permanent. Dr. Koveos offers many ways to replace missing teeth and restore your mouth function. If you’ve lost a tooth or are worried about your oral health, schedule a visit to Integrated Dental.
Why Replace Missing Teeth?
Replacing missing teeth can treat many problems. If you have one or more lost teeth, we’ll recommend tooth replacements that fit your needs. The benefits of replacing missing teeth far outweigh living with gaps in your mouth.
Improve Appearance
One of the biggest reasons people replace missing teeth is to feel better about their smile. A gap in your teeth can make you feel self-conscious when you talk or smile. Replacing the missing tooth helps fill that gap and gives you a full, natural-looking smile again. This can boost your confidence and help you feel better in social situations.
Combat Facial Sagging
When you lose teeth, the jawbone in that area begins to shrink over time. This bone loss can cause your face to sag or look older than it is. Your cheeks may appear sunken, and your lips may lose support. Replacing missing teeth with dental implants helps keep your jawbone strong and supports the natural shape of your face.
Support Bite
Your teeth work together to help you chew and speak. When one or more teeth are missing, your bite can become uneven. This can make it harder to eat certain foods and can even cause discomfort or jaw pain. Replacing missing teeth helps restore balance to your bite so you can chew comfortably and protect your remaining teeth.
Prevent Bone Loss
Your jawbone needs stimulation from your teeth to stay strong. When a tooth is missing, that part of the bone no longer gets used and can start to break down. Dental implants act like tooth roots and help keep the jawbone healthy. Preventing bone loss is important for your overall oral health and for keeping future replacement options possible.
Options for Replacing Missing Teeth
Dr. Koveos provides multiple options to replace a single missing tooth or all your teeth. Before treatment, he’ll take digital X-rays and may recommend pretreatments so you’re healthy enough for a restoration. Then he will recommend one of his tooth replacement options.
Dental Implants
Dental implants are one of the most popular and long-lasting ways to replace missing teeth. An implant is a small titanium post that is placed in your jawbone. It acts like a tooth root and supports a custom crown that looks and feels like a real tooth. Implants help prevent bone loss in your jaw and allow you to chew and speak normally. They can be used to replace a single tooth, several teeth, or even support full dentures.
Dental Bridge
A dental bridge can “bridge the gap” left by one or more missing teeth. A traditional bridge uses the healthy teeth on either side of the gap to support a false tooth (or teeth) in between. Implant bridges use implants instead of natural teeth for support. In some cases, we can use a single dental implant to support a crown instead of using a traditional bridge.
Dentures
Our dentures and partials can replace multiple missing teeth or all your teeth. We use full dentures when all the teeth in the upper or lower jaw are missing. Partial dentures are used when some natural teeth still remain. Dentures are custom-made to fit your mouth and can improve your ability to eat and speak. For more stability, we can also secure dentures using dental implants to keep them from slipping or shifting.
Schedule a Consultation
Contact Integrated Dental for missing teeth treatment in our Sarasota, FL, dental office. Call us today at 941-270-9755. You can also request an appointment with Dr. Koveos online. Let us know if you have questions about treatment, and we’ll be happy to help.