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Health Issues With Missing Teeth

Oral surgery is a traumatizing experience. Having a tooth removed from your mouth due to decay or accident is devastating. Once the swelling goes down and pain subsides, there are many reasons why replacing missing teeth is important for overall wellness and oral health. With missing teeth, chewing foods you once loved becomes challenging. Grinding foods is less complete, which leads to foods not being broken down before swallowing. There are many potential problems when teeth are not replaced with cosmetic dentistry or dental implants.

If you have gaps and miss your full smile, Dr. Tiffany Shields of Jacksonville, FL can help you get your smile, confidence, and oral health back.

Physical Health and Nutrition

Oral health is compromised when teeth are missing from the mouth. We often think oral health is not connected to physical health, but things such as poor nutrition do affect oral health. If this leads to tooth loss, it becomes an aesthetic problem in need of cosmetic dentistry. Not being able to smile or chew certain foods cannot take away from the fact that missing teeth are a health concern that could trigger other problems. Then, a visit to your holistic dentist will be needed.

Facial Structure

When you lose a tooth, you are vulnerable to bone loss. The jawbone shifts and sucks inward, creating a sagging jawline and facial distortion. The deterioration makes you look older and weakens your chances for successful dental implants due to bone loss. Missing teeth can make the remaining teeth crooked. With gaps, other teeth can shift to try to fill the missing space. Take steps as soon as possible to have the missing teeth replaced to benefit the health of your mouth as well as your facial structure.

Breaking Down Foods

We forget how challenging it is to chew our favorite foods with missing teeth. We give up the foods we once loved due to the inability to grind foods down for better digestion. When you have all your teeth, you can chew and swallow foods more efficiently and correctly. Also, based on where the tooth or teeth are missing, it greatly affects your ability to chew. You could even harm your gums with hard foods. These are signs that you need the professional services of Dr. Tiffany Shields in Jacksonville, FL to restore your oral health, regain confidence, and restore your smile.

Speech

Even your speech is affected when you have missing teeth. Voice tone and pronunciation of words can vary. When you have spaces in your smile, your confidence suffers. You have gone without your teeth for long enough. It is time to do something about it. Missing teeth affect relationships we have with family, friends as well as professional relationships.

Headaches

There is much more to missing teeth than an unattractive smile. A real health crisis is at hand when we neglect our dental health. This situation will only get worse without professional help. Other health conditions such as migraines are associated with tooth loss and other dental issues. When there are gaps present, you have altered your mouth’s bite pattern and when you bite down, it can even cause pain and headaches. When you have missing teeth you have a higher risk of oral infection, which could spread to your body because your health is connected and reacts when areas are in need of dental or medical attention.

Bacteria

The mouth is a haven for bacteria. This opens the door to other health issues, especially when teeth are missing. Over time, the bacteria that builds upon our gums can go to other parts of the body and contribute to health issues such as diabetes, kidney, and even heart disease.

Contact Dr. Tiffany Shields

Today, many are making a greater effort to care for their oral health and the health of their teeth. You do not have to walk around with gaps in your smile. There are many options available for you, including implants and cosmetic dentistry.

To learn more about dental health problems, contact Dr. Tiffany Shields, at Smiles by Shields today.

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Smiles by Shields
3940 San Jose Park Dr.
Jacksonville, FL 32217