The Psychological Penalty of Missing Teeth

Missing teeth can produce numerous consequences. While it is common to hear how missing teeth compromise your chewing function or your dental health, there is another noteworthy penalty. Tooth loss can also lead to significant psychological concerns that can negatively affect one’s quality of life. In fact, studies show that missing a single tooth or multiple teeth can cause feelings of depression, self-consciousness and low self-esteem. For some, it can even make them feel like they cannot advance in their career.

Tooth loss and Your Social Life

A large survey by the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) reported that as much as 86% of patients listed social embarrassment as a highly impactful problem related to tooth loss. More than half of the patients reported that they’ve had less social involvement since their tooth loss. An incomplete smile can dramatically influence your social interactions with friend, family and co-workers, which unfortunately leads to a lesser quality of life.

The Solution to Tooth Loss

There are so many innovative advancements in modern dentistry, including gold standard options in tooth replacement. Depending on your budget, preferences and severity of tooth loss, you can choose between dentures, dental implants and dental bridges to replace missing teeth. It is absolutely possible to restore your smile with prosthetic teeth that mimic your natural teeth in function, feel and appearance. Dental implants are known as the most preferred solution, as they provide a replacement for your tooth as well as your tooth root, giving you maximum security while preventing bone loss.

Importance of the High Quality Solutions

If you don’t pursue a high quality solution for your tooth replacement, you run the serious risk of further psychological consequences. For example, patients who concede to ill-fitting dentures may suffer from social embarrassment and dietary restrictions because of their prosthetic teeth. Anchoring your dentures with dental implants, however, is the only way to ensure your dentures will stay in place over a long period of time. This is due to the fact that implants preserve your jawbone. Many traditional denture wearers suffer from improperly fitting dentures because of the progressive loss of bone.

If you want to avoid the emotional setbacks of missing teeth or poorly fitting dentures, turn to the expertise of Dr. Wayne Suway. Your tooth replacement should boost your self-confidence and improve your quality of life.