Nobody likes to lose a tooth, and when you do, it can have dangerous consequences for your oral health. As part of tooth development for children, it’s expected that milk teeth fall out to make way for adult teeth. As an adult, you don’t usually expect to lose a tooth, unless you require extraction treatment for a wisdom tooth or you have a decayed tooth. Even so, it’s actually more of a common problem than you think.
There are a variety of causes that cause tooth loss.
Poor Oral Hygiene
You’re introducing the initial stages of tooth decay and cavity if your oral hygiene routine isn’t strong enough. Poor oral hygiene is the first sign of degrading oral health. Without brushing and flossing your teeth twice a day, food intake remains on your teeth and this forms plaque. Plaque is a sticky substance that triggers bad bacteria. This is the first sign of tooth decay and may eventually lead to gum disease. If your routine isn’t strong enough, ensure you’re doing the following:
- Brushing and flossing twice a day
- Rinse your mouth after a meal to keep food debris off your teeth
- Use fluoride toothpaste to keep enamel strong
A Poor Diet
Positive oral health also begins with a balanced diet. This means eating foods that keep your teeth, gums and bone strong for a long-term shine to your smile. Eating foods that are harmful to your teeth can promote cavities and lead to tooth loss. Consuming a diet with high levels of sugar such as wine, sodas, sweets is bad for your teeth. Consider eating:
- Calcium-rich foods to increase your calcium deficiency
- Foods containing sources of fibre
- Drinks without natural sweeteners and alcohol content
If as part of your diet you consume alcohol, you’re introducing dehydration and dry mouth. This causes saliva production levels to stay low. Saliva is important because it acts as a line of defence in fighting off bacteria.
Bad Dental Habits
Habits that involve using your teeth are a bad sign. Common habits include using your mouth to open packaging, chewing down on hard objects and smoking, which are all bad behaviours that are harmful to teeth and can lead to tooth loss. The frustrating thing about these behaviours is that it’s a simple shortcut without the need to use the appropriate objects to perform them. Therefore, you’d use teeth as a quick solution. Avoid doing this at all costs.
Physical Accidents
Physical accidents are something beyond your control most of the time. Sometimes, you can risk your teeth being damaged when playing contact sports such as hockey or football. Teeth can get dislodged leading to extreme sensitivity. If you’re regularly active and play contact sports, it is important to consider wearing a dental mouthguard to protect your teeth. The dentist can develop a custom mouth guard that optimizes comfort and breathing.
Wearing a mouthguard offers these key benefits:
- Decreases the chances of experiencing tooth trauma
- Reduces chances of tooth loss
- Reduces the risk of fractures to your jaw and teeth
What Happens If You Lose A Tooth?
When one or more teeth become missing, your neighbouring teeth are likely to shift into another position to reduce the gap. This is a natural movement caused by a tooth that becomes dislodged. Although, when gaps widen in the mouth, this can penetrate food to become stuck in the gaps and promote plaque build-up. Plaque build-up is one of the first stages of long-term tooth loss.
Chewing with fewer teeth can cause more wear-and-tear, reduce bone strength and escalate signs of ageing. These reasons alone are enough to warn you of the dangers of tooth loss and why looking after your oral health should be an essential daily routine. You should also consider adopting these tips to reduce bone loss.
Are you concerned about your bone density? Worried you’re losing teeth? Contact us at Sutherland Dental today and let our knowledgable dentists work to restore your smile. Book an appointment with us today!
