Your teeth are responsible for many things, from making your food digestible and enunciating your words to filling out your smile’s appearance. As such, the loss of a tooth may have several obvious impacts on the rest of your teeth’s ability to perform their duties. However, the things that can affect your risks of losing teeth aren’t always as obvious. For patients in North Hollywood, CA, understanding the many things that are related to tooth loss is often the best way to prevent or address it, and therefore, avoid the potential consequences of it.

The health of your periodontal tissues

Your periodontal tissues describe the gums that surround your teeth roots, and gum disease is the erosion of the tissues. When gum disease develops, it destroys the tissues and eventually reaches the jawbone structure underneath. The continued destruction of your gums and jawbone can cause you to lose one or more teeth before you can restore your good periodontal health.

The state of your tooth alignment

Like tooth loss, tooth misalignment (or malocclusion) can have obvious effects on your smile’s appearance. However, also like tooth loss, the most significant impacts are those that aren’t immediately noticeable. For example, crooked teeth significantly increase your risk of conditions like gum disease, as well as extreme tooth damage. Straightening crooked teeth can mitigate those risks, helping you preserve your smile as well as improve its appearance.

The previous loss of one or more teeth

Losing a tooth can make it seem like the fight to prevent tooth loss is over, but you can still prevent the rest of your teeth from being lost. By replacing the tooth with a dental implant, you can preserve the strength and integrity of your jawbone, which reduces your risks of developing periodontal disease and other tooth loss-causing conditions.

Learn How to Protect Your Smile from Tooth Loss

There’s a lot to know about tooth loss, but the most important thing is that you can protect your smile with consistent attention and care from your dentist. For more information, schedule a consultation by calling Modern Smile in North Hollywood, CA, today at 818-763-9353. We also proudly serve patients who live in Burbank, Toluca Lake, and all surrounding communities.