Teeth and Jaw Problems: Finding Answers for Your Pain

Posted on: 27 December 2017

If you've been missing a tooth for a while, you probably know that having that tooth replaced with a permanent fix will make you feel better about your smile. However, getting a dental implant set where your tooth used to be could actually improve your self-confidence beyond how your smile looks. Here are three additional ways getting your missing tooth replaced will improve how you feel about yourself.

Better Speech

For many people, losing a tooth means that their speech is radically altered. The way the tongue moves is critical to speaking clearly, and when a tooth goes missing, that movement is often affected. With more space in the mouth, you may end up slurring or having difficulty pronouncing certain sounds.

With a dental implant, your missing tooth will be replaced by a perfect artificial match. There's no need to adapt to a tooth replacement that feels and is shaped differently, like dentures. Instead, you should have full functionality and be able to speak normally as soon as your implant is installed and healed.

Stronger Jaw

Most people know that a defined jawline is a facial feature that can make you look strong, distinguished, and attractive. Unfortunately, even if you were born with a strong jawline, it may have suffered as a result of losing a tooth. Without a repair, people who lose teeth can also lose up to 25% of their jawbone mass over the course of a single year.

With a dental implant, your jaw will begin to strengthen again. The pressure of each bite will be sent through the post of your dental implant and into your jaw, stimulating it to grow new bone cells. In time, your jawbone will look the way it once did, which will boost the look of your whole face.

Better Breath

Bad breath is a tricky problem to solve, especially when it's due to a problem like a missing tooth. Regardless of how you lost your tooth, leaving an open space in your mouth where a tooth used to be can actually give you bad breath. The gum pocket that once held your tooth has become a prime location for bacterial growth, which is one of the leading contributors to bad breath.

Having a dentist thoroughly clean out your gum pocket and install a dental implant will help to alleviate your bad breath problem. Once the gum pocket has healed around your dental implant, it will no longer be a pit for bacteria to grow in and your breath should improve.

Any one of these problems can make you feel badly about yourself, but it's possible to have all three if you're missing one or more teeth. Don't waste another day being embarrassed or critical of yourself - visit a dentist, like one from Oral Surgery Associates Inc, and begin the process of getting a dental implant right away.