If you are missing teeth, you might notice difficulties performing oral functions, dissatisfaction with smile aesthetics, and a high risk of further dental problems. You will want to talk to your dentist as soon as you can about treatment that can restore your smile and replace missing teeth.
Gum disease, an infection of the gum tissue, is the leading cause of tooth loss in adult dental patients. And this infection can leave you with other dental concerns besides missing teeth.
The resulting structural damage to your smile might mean you cannot undergo certain types of dental work. This is why early intervention for gum disease is so important. Read on to learn more about how tooth loss caused by gum disease may affect your tooth replacement treatment down the road.
How Does Gum Disease Cause Tooth Loss?
The early stage of gum disease involves oral bacteria infecting gum tissue and causing inflammation. You may see swelling, bleeding, and soreness in the gums at this point. But without treatment from a dentist, gum disease will spread and worsen. It does not go away on its own.
Then bacteria will eat away at the gums, teeth, and jawbone. This creates enough damage that the teeth can fall out of their sockets. With this amount of structural deterioration, even prompt treatment from a dentist will not be able to restore the teeth back in the mouth.
However, a dentist can help with tooth replacement solutions through restorative dentistry. But first, they will need to eradicate the infection. They thoroughly clean excess bacteria from the gums with periodontal therapy. You may also need an antibacterial rinse to keep oral bacteria at bay.
Do Gum Problems Affect My Eligibility for Implant Dentistry?
After treating gum disease, your dentist will want to replace missing teeth so that you do not suffer further oral health complications. Tooth loss may cause jawbone deterioration and dental alignment concerns if left untreated.
But gum disease can leave you with damaged gum tissue and jawbone, even after getting rid of the infection. This extensive damage may mean you cannot receive certain treatments, like dental implants.
Implant dentistry offers the most benefits when it comes to tooth replacement. Unlike removable dentures, the implant replaces the missing tooth root below the gumline.
But if you do not have enough healthy jawbone or gum tissue to support the anchor of the implant, the implant will not stay in place. To avoid implant failure, the dentist will evaluate your oral health prior to pursuing implant dentistry.
If you lost too much bone or tissue to sustain an implant, your dentist may need to perform a gum graft or bone graft to add stability to these areas. Then you can have enough support for the device after you recover.
You can also avoid gum disease and resulting tooth loss in the first place with proper preventative oral health care. Practice good oral hygiene and seek personalized routine dental services to preserve your smile.