From bad breath to stained teeth, from tooth-destroying decay to gum inflammation and disease, there are a wide number of issues that can affect your smile’s health, integrity, and appearance. Nevertheless, there are very few conditions that can affect your long-term dental health, as well as your overall quality of life, with the same severity as tooth loss. Once you lose a tooth, it will not grow back, and restoring your good oral health will rely on effectively replacing it. Fortunately, you can reduce your risk of permanent tooth loss by understanding the common reasons behind it, and taking proper precautions through good hygiene and dental care.

Most Common Causes of Tooth Loss

Aside from physical trauma, such as a hit to the face or a slip-and-fall accident, tooth loss typically occurs in older patients, and is therefore often confused as a natural part of aging. The truth, though, is that teeth are most often lost due to an extreme dental disease, such as tooth decay or periodontitis (severe gum disease). Both conditions are the result of a bacterial infection resulting from poor hygiene and the overwhelming presence of bacteria-laden dental plaque. As they progress, dental decay and disease erode your tooth structure, or the gum tissue and jawbone that support it, and in severe cases, one or more teeth may fall out or require an extraction to preserve the surrounding teeth, bone, and tissues.

Why They’re Called Permanent

As children, everyone loses their first set of teeth, or primary teeth, to make way for their permanent replacements (with a few exceptions; in rare cases, the primary tooth might not fall out). Your adult teeth, however, are frequently referred to as “permanent” teeth because they’re the only teeth you’ll grow in adulthood, and are meant to last for life. Losing even one of them can expose the rest of your teeth to a host of subsequent dental problems, including an uneven bite, damage to one or more teeth, and possibly further tooth loss. Since dental diseases claim the most adult teeth, keeping your smile clean and healthy is the most effective method of preserving your beautiful, natural smile.

ABOUT YOUR SHREWSBURY DENTISTS:

At Modern Dentistry, Todd A. Pizzi, DDS, and Luciana Messina, DDS, are dedicated to providing high-quality cosmetic, restorative, and preventive dentistry services to patients and families in Shrewsbury, Worcester, North and South Grafton, Westborough, Southborough, Northborough, Boylston, Hopkinton, Millbury, and all surrounding communities. To schedule your next appointment, contact our office by calling (508) 842-6356 today.