Time to Talk About - Tooth Loss and Self-Esteem

It goes without saying that losing your teeth can affect your bite. What few mention however, is that tooth loss can also take a bite out of your social life.

Numerous studies have shown that tooth loss can have far reaching psychological affects, in addition to the physical effects of pain and changed eating habits. Especially in older patients, tooth loss can cause reduced social interaction due to embarrassment, altered speech patterns, self-consciousness, depression, and anxiety. Gaps in the mouth, or shifting or ill-fitting dentures, can make social situations extremely painful for anyone who has experienced tooth loss.

With dentists extracting some 20 million teeth each year, for any number of reasons, prevention becomes the number one treatment option. Tooth loss should not be considered a normal result of aging. On the contrary, the most common cause of tooth loss is gum disease, or periodontitis. This means that, for most patients, if you take good care of your teeth and gums, you can prevent tooth loss.

If you’ve already lost a number of teeth, or all of them, you should know that dentistry in the 21st Century is far more effective at replacing lost teeth; whether you need total tooth replacement or partial tooth replacement.

In fact, the technological advances we now employ for tooth replacement therapy can ensure the fabrication of much more comfortable dental prosthetics than ever before. These advances enable us to replace your teeth in ways not possible just two decades ago; with dentures and bridges that are anchored with dental implants. These are known as "implant-supported dentures" and "implant-supported bridges," and they are much more attractive and comfortable than older technologies.

The point of this is – you no longer need to suffer from embarrassment, anxiety, or depression because of tooth loss. With modern tooth replacement therapy, you have every reason to expect a beautiful smile, the improved ability to eat the foods you most enjoy, and an improved sense of self – and enhanced self-esteem.