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What happens to your smile’s appearance when you lose one or more teeth can sometimes be obvious. In fact, it’s one of the most common reasons why patients seek to replace their lost teeth. However, a lot more happens to your smile, your remaining teeth, and your oral tissues and structures than you might realize. At Dental Associates of Woodcrest in Riverside, CA, our goal in replacing your lost teeth is to do more than just restore its attractive appearance, but also to address the consequences of tooth loss that you might not be aware of yet.

Your other teeth don’t react well

The placement and alignment of your teeth are important for several different reasons. For example, all of your teeth rely on each other for support when you bite and chew, which ensures an even distribution of your bite’s pressure. If you lose a tooth, then the rest of them may not be able to withstand the imbalance, and can shift toward the empty space to close the gap. The more they’re allowed to shift, the greater the disturbance will be to your oral health, and the more likely it’ll be that you experience further tooth loss.

Your jaw responds poorly, too

Your remaining teeth aren’t the only things that suffer when tooth loss throws your bite off balance. To compensate for it, your jaw joints and muscles have to accommodate the imbalance, which can force them to work harder every time you bite, chew, and speak. Over time, this can lead to TMJ disorder – a jaw dysfunction involving damaged, inflamed, misaligned, or otherwise compromised jaw joints.

The effects on your daily life will get worse

In addition to the long-term oral health issues that can result from tooth loss, there are also the more noticeable impacts that it can have on your daily life. For example, biting and chewing your favorite foods can become more difficult, and sometimes, painful. Speaking might be more challenging as you find it harder to enunciate your words clearly, and daily hygiene might be less effective as remaining teeth shift further out of alignment.

Address tooth loss as soon as possible

Losing a tooth can have a negative impact on your smile if you neglect to replace it as soon as possible. Give us a call in Riverside, CA to schedule a consultation with your dentist. We are proud to serve patients from Riverside, Temecula, Moreno Valley, Corona, and all surrounding California communities. To schedule an appointment, contact one of the following locations nearest to you:

Riverside Dental Group at Magnolia in Riverside, CA at (951) 689-5031.

Dental Associates of Moreno Valley in Moreno Valley, CA at (951) 697-6800.

Riverside Dental Group at Woodcrest in Riverside, CA at (951) 776-9001.

Oasis Family Dental in Temecula, CA at (951) 695-2290.

Dental Associates of Riverside in Riverside, CA at (951) 369-1001.

Dental Associates of Corona in Corona, CA at (951) 273-9580.