{"id":12,"date":"2019-08-08T17:16:51","date_gmt":"2019-08-08T17:16:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.333dentalcare.com\/blog\/?p=12"},"modified":"2019-09-03T17:16:59","modified_gmt":"2019-09-03T17:16:59","slug":"why-replace-missing-tooth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.333dentalcare.com\/blog\/2019\/08\/08\/why-replace-missing-tooth\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Reasons Why You Need to Replace Your Missing Tooth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"man<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you have a missing tooth, you might be wondering if you\nshould get\nit replaced<\/a>, especially if it\u2019s in the back of your mouth, where no one\nwill notice it. But did you know that if you have missing teeth, it can\nnegatively impact your oral health? Believe it or not, a lot of bad things can\nhappen if you don\u2019t replace a missing tooth. Read on to learn 4 of them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

1. Your Remaining Teeth Might Shift <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you have all your teeth, they do a great job of keeping\neach other all neatly lined up. However, when you\u2019re missing teeth, the\nsurrounding ones try and fill in the gap themselves by drifting into it. This\ncould lead to a change in your bite, increasing your risk of tooth decay and\ngum disease. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. You May Look Older <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every part of your face is connected, so if you\u2019re missing a\ntooth, even one located in the back of your mouth, it can change your entire\nfacial structure. Missing a tooth makes the jawbone in that area start to\nshrink because it\u2019s no longer being stimulated by the tooth root. When your\njawbone shrinks, it makes part of your face sag, so you look much older than\nyou actually are. To keep looking youthful, it\u2019s best to replace your missing\ntooth as soon as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Your Mental Health Could Be Affected <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With a missing tooth, it can be difficult to chew and enjoy\nyour favorite snacks, which can lead to irritation and a depressed mood after a\nwhile. It may make it harder to pronounce certain words, resulting in a\nself-confidence drop. If your missing tooth is in the front of your mouth, this\nis even more true. Having a gap in your grin can negatively affect your\nself-esteem. You might be afraid to smile or get in the habit of covering your\nmouth all the time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. You Might Get TMJ Disorder <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your temporomandibular joints, or TMJ, are the joints just\nunder your ear that connect your jaws to the rest of your skull. They help you\nchew, speak, and rotate your jaw. Failing to replace a tooth can cause the\ndelicate structure of your face and jaw to change, which may result in serious\npain to that joint that makes eating and talking uncomfortable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although it might not seem like a big deal at first, it\u2019s\nmassively important to replace missing teeth as soon as you can. It can affect\nnot only your oral health, but your mental health as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Author <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Dustin Lively is a Mangum native who has been providing\ncomprehensive dental care to the community for more than two decades. He\nachieved his dental degree at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry. His\npractice offers bridges, full and partial dentures, and dental implants to\nreplace your missing teeth. To learn more about your options, contact the\ndoctor here<\/a> or by\ncalling (580) 782-2552. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you have a missing tooth, you might be wondering if you should get it replaced, especially if it\u2019s in the back of your mouth, where no one will notice it. But did you know that if you have missing teeth, it can negatively impact your oral health? Believe it or not, a lot of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.333dentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.333dentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.333dentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.333dentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.333dentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.333dentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.333dentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12\/revisions\/14"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.333dentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.333dentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.333dentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}