Dental Implants

Why Losing Teeth Can be Bad

Teeth may be lost from an accident or other trauma, but the most common cause for tooth loss is gum disease and/or decay. So, why is it a big problem if you lose a tooth? First, losing even one tooth can cause the other teeth to shift. This can affect how you chew and your body’s ability to absorb nutrients from food. Other unpleasant things can happen; your face contour can change shape, often looking “sunken.” This can cause you to appear much older. Your speech can also be impacted. Since it’s more difficult to chew with missing teeth, you may find yourself avoiding tougher food choices and instead selecting food that contains more carbohydrates. This in turn can cause you to gain weight. The best approach for treating a missing tooth (or multiple missing teeth) is with dental implants. An implant can replace any number of teeth. They can look so much like natural teeth that even a dentist has to look closely to tell there’s a difference.

Westside Dentistry  
Stephen J. Kimball, DMD   
7181 Westwind Dr., Suite A 
El Paso, TX 79912  
(915) 581-1511  
Westside-Dentistry.com