Missing teeth are more than just a cosmetic concern. Left untreated, missing teeth can begin to affect the quality of your life and cause oral and systemic health problems. If you are missing one tooth or if you’re missing all of your teeth, it is important to seek treatment as soon as possible.
Dr. Roham Rafat, DDS, MS of Valley Dental Health is one of the most highly trained periodontists in the Baltimore area. Dr. Rafat offers complete implant dentistry services in our office, without the need for you to see multiple specialists.
Missing teeth can negatively impact your speech, nutrition, and oral hygiene. Left untreated, missing teeth increase your risk of developing dental and systemic health concerns. Missing teeth can lead to bone loss, jaw recession, additional missing teeth, shifting of teeth, and increase your risk of tooth decay.
Patients with missing teeth also have an increased risk of developing gum disease, cardiovascular disease, and inflammation. Replacing your missing teeth can restore the function, health, and beauty of your smile.
Missing Teeth: What to Expect
Our Cockeysville dentist office provides options for replacing missing teeth. We will tailor your treatment plan to your personal oral health, cosmetic goals, budget, and lifestyle. Your Valley Dental Health dentist will conduct a thorough oral health exam to determine which missing tooth replacement option will offer you optimal oral health.
Whenever possible your dentist may recommend the use of dental implants for their longevity, stability, and natural look and feel. Valley Dental Health offers:
Dental Implants vs. Dentures Hunt Valley, MD
Dental implants are the most natural missing tooth replacement option. Implants provide patients with a permanent dental restoration for a stable oral foundation.
While dentures still provide patients with a viable replacement option for missing teeth, the benefits of dental implants include providing more structural support and long-term oral health benefits.
Dental implants can be used to permanently secure a denture. Other benefits include:
- 98% success rate
- Helps to avoid bone loss and gum recession associated with tooth loss
- Restores proper chewing
- Avoids damage to surrounding teeth
- Improves speech
- Increases comfort
- Helps promote long-term facial integrity
Sedation Dentistry
Many patients forgo replacing their missing teeth due to fear of the dentist. If you suffer from dental anxiety, we can help. Valley Dental Health provides sedation dentistry for the comfort and ease of our patients.
Sedation dentistry provides more of an all-over euphoric effect to not only control pain in the treatment area but calm anxiety and fear.
We offer IV sedation, oral sedation, and nitrous oxide. Ask your Valley Dental Health dentist about which form of sedation is right for you.
Missing Teeth FAQs
Can missing teeth cause problems?
Missing teeth can cause a variety of health problems. It puts patients at a higher risk for gum disease. Gum disease can lead to a variety of overall health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s. If you are missing teeth it is recommended to have some sort of treatment so that you can prevent future complications.
Can losing back teeth change the shape of your face?
Loss of teeth can change the shape of your face. This can result in changing someone’s overall appearance. It may also cause facial sagging. If you are missing any tooth, it changes the balance of your jaw which results in an uneven nature to your bone structure.
Can you talk with missing teeth?
Teeth are a large part of our ability to speak. Without them, some sounds and letters may be more difficult to pronounce. This is also dependent on the teeth that are missing. Some may have a greater impact than others.
Schedule a Dental Exam
If you are missing teeth, contact our Hunt Valley, MD dentist office to learn more about how our comprehensive and personalized dental care can help you restore your confidence and health. We provide in-house comprehensive dental implant services for the convenience of our patients and for consistent and quality results.
