It is vitally important to replace those missing dental pieces that, for one reason or another, we lose throughout our life, since not doing so can have consequences of varying degrees of severity.
When you lose a tooth, the bone surrounding the roots of the said tooth begins a process of resorption, a kind of atrophy that occurs when the bone segment that held the tooth finds itlsef without any function to perform, so it starts retracting. This would not be especially dangerous if it were not for the fact that, after a while, this atrophy begins to affect the neighboring teeth, which can lead to their fall, starting a chain reaction of resorption and teeth loss.
Another consequence of not replacing lost teeth is a marked increase in the probability of suffering periodontal diseases, which are the gateway to bacteria that can pass from our mouth to our blood system, causing diseases as serious as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases or migraines, among many others.
Video: Periodontal diseases
Depending on the location and number of teeth lost, there could also be speech or digestive complications, since an edentulous patient can hardly chew their food.
And of course, there are other less tangible effects such as the affectation to our facial appearance, which degree also depends to a large extent on the location of the lost teeth.
In any case, the most advisable way to replace a missing tooth are dental implants, which are the only solution that replaces the root of the tooth. This not only stops the process of bone resorption, but also stimulates bone regeneration through the process of osseointegration of the implant, as well as not affecting neighboring teeth as other solutions, such as bridges, do.
Related: How long do dental implants last?
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