It’s a fact: over 65 percent of adults will lose at least one tooth over the course of their lives. With chances that good you might be wondering what you can do to prevent that loss, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn that it’s much easier than you think.
At New Albany Implants we focus in replacing lost teeth but that doesn’t mean we want you to lose them: on the contrary! Replacing your natural teeth with implants is a great option, but it doesn’t beat keeping your natural teeth!
Today we want to discuss the most common reasons people lose teeth. There are various reasons, but all of them generally boil down to a few basic causes. Your mouth is tough, but it falls prey to a few simple health concerns that lead to a future full of dentures.
#1: Poor Oral Hygiene
This is by far the most preventable tooth loss problem: improving your brushing and flossing habits isn’t that hard! The key is to brush at least twice a day, for at least two minutes each time, and to floss every evening. We know flossing is a drag, but it’s essential!
Poor oral hygiene leads to a buildup of plaque, which is the sticky white film made of bacteria that lives in everyone’s mouths. If it builds up it will have the chance to assault your teeth, causing decay and gum disease that can lead to complete loss of your teeth.
#2: Tooth Decay
Piggy backing off the risks of poor oral hygiene, tooth decay is a leading cause of tooth loss. While you can still end up with cavities while taking good care of your teeth, brushing and flossing will lessen your chances.
Tooth decay happens to everyone: over 90 percent of adults will end up with a cavity over their lives. The key is to not let them go untreated! A cavity that is allowed to grow will eventually reach the root of your tooth, where it infects the soft dental pulp that resides there. That pulp is full of nerves and blood vessels, and once infected can cause a lot of pain and complications. If a root canal isn’t performed there’s a good chance the infection will spread and the tooth will be lost.
#3: Gum Disease
Like tooth decay, gum disease is caused by oral bacteria. When that bacteria gets below your gumline it starts to cause inflammation, infection, and eventual weakening of your gums. They’ll start to recede, showing more and more of the roots of your teeth until they start to lose stability.
The loss of stability as a result of untreated gum disease will get worse and worse until your gums and bone can’t support your teeth anymore. Most gum disease patients lose multiple teeth rather quickly as the infection spreads from tooth to tooth!
#4: Trauma
You might have the most perfect cavity-free mouth in the world and still lose a tooth because of an accident. Whether it’s a car wreck, sports injury, or just a slip-and-fall injury, teeth are lost from trauma all the time!
In many cases a traumatically damaged tooth can be saved with a crown or other restoration, but that isn’t always the case. Sometimes you just end up losing teeth due to a severe fracture or other damage and there’s nothing that can be done!
#5: A Lack Of Professional Dental Care
With the exception of a traumatic injury, lost teeth are caused by oral bacteria. While good oral hygiene at home definitely makes a difference there’s one thing that simply can’t be beat when it comes to maintaining a healthy mouth: professional dental care.
You don’t know it, but there are a lot of spots in your mouth that can’t be reached with brushing and flossing alone. That’s why professional cleanings are so important. And exams are able to catch cavities far earlier than you can spot them – the same goes for gum disease. Patients who avoid seeing the dentist are almost guaranteed to be in that 65 percent, so don’t risk your smile by putting off professional care at our New Albany office!
Prevent Tooth Loss: Make An Appointment Today
We’d love to see you at New Albany Implants for a nice expensive dental restoration, but we’d much rather see you for good, proactive care. We can tell you all about tooth loss and the risks your mouth endures, but in the end it’s up to you to seek the care you need to prevent it. We can make it easy as long as you call us today!
You can reach our New Albany office by calling (812) 945-7645 or by filling out our online appointment form. We look forward to seeing you soon!