Why You Shouldn't Ignore a Missing Tooth

The block-stacking game Jenga® challenges players to remove sticks from a tower, one at a time, and place them on top without toppling the structure. At some point, though, the wrong stick is removed, and the entire tower falls.

Just as the Jenga blocks rely on each other’s friction to stay upright, so does each tooth in your mouth need all your other teeth. Even though they’re not stacked on top of each other, your teeth put pressure on one another to keep them all standing up and straight.

Addie Chang, DMD, an expert family dentist, encourages you to value each one of your irreplaceable teeth. If one goes missing, she recommends replacing your tooth as soon as possible at her practice in Tukwila, Washington.

What happens if you ignore your missing tooth? For one, like Jenga, the rest of your teeth could fall. Here’s what happens when a tooth goes missing.

Adjacent teeth fall sideways

When you lose a tooth, you lose the support for the two teeth that are adjacent to it. Now, instead of having a tooth pushing against them on either side, each of these teeth has a tooth on one side that’s pushing it toward the gap left by the missing tooth.

Over time, those adjacent teeth begin to fall toward, or even into, the gap. Instead of standing straight, lean over the gap, stressing their roots. They’re also in danger of falling out.

And since they no longer stand upright and straight in line, they also endanger the next two teeth.

These teeth then begin to lean toward the gap, stressing their roots. If they lean too far or fall out, the next teeth are endangered. And so on.

Opposite teeth super erupt

If you lose a tooth on your lower jaw, the tooth above it might be affected, or vice versa. Normally, your teeth don’t just pressure the teeth next to them. They also apply pressure to the teeth directly above or below them. 

When you chew, for example, your molars stress one another. That pressure keeps each tooth strong and firmly located in its socket. When the tooth’s partner in the opposing arch goes missing, that pressure is lost, too.

The opposing tooth is no longer pushed and stressed when you chew. It may start to grow toward the gap — a process called super eruption. As the tooth “grows” longer, its roots may not be able to hold it in place, and it, too, could fall out.

Your chewing and speech are affected

If you’re missing a front tooth, the aesthetics of your smile is drastically changed. But even missing molars can change the way you are perceived. A missing molar changes the stress distribution in your jaw.

That, in turn, may alter the way you speak. Even if nobody notices the missing tooth, they may notice the changes in the way you enunciate.

A missing tooth can also change the way your jaw aligns. You may not be able to chew as thoroughly with the missing tooth. This could affect your digestion, too.

You could “lose face”

Your teeth need each other, and your jawbone needs your teeth. Every time you chew, your jawbone gets stressed by the pressure and grinding. The stress signals your jawbone to continue making new bone cells.

Without the pressure of opposing teeth during the chewing process, the bone doesn’t get the stress or signals it needs to continue producing fresh bone. Over time, your jaw bone might atrophy, leaving you with the “short-faced” look you’ve probably noticed in denture wearers.

Replace your missing tooth with a “tooth”

Although any kind of tooth replacement is better than none, the best and most functional choice is a dental implant. A dental implant is a custom-crafted, single false tooth that we implant in your gums and jawbone, where it roots itself as if it were a real tooth.

A dental implant not only restores your full smile but also does everything else your missing tooth once did. It keeps the teeth adjacent to it strong, healthy, and straight. It keeps the tooth above or below it from super erupting. It also stresses the jaw bone so that it doesn’t atrophy.

Are you ready to replace your missing tooth with a natural-looking, high-functioning dental implant? Contact our sympathetic team by phone or online for a dental implant consultation today.