If you have lost a tooth then, depending on where that tooth was located in your mouth, you may regard it to be a big problem, or you may feel it’s something you can live with.

Here at CK Dental our philosophy is that losing a tooth is not something that you should view lightly – even if you don’t think it is a big problem because it’s not immediately visible to others, you should know what the implications are of not replacing a lost tooth so that you can make an informed decision.

Location

The first thing to consider is where in your mouth the missing tooth was located. If it was at the front and was more visible, then its loss is probably affecting your smile. If that is the case, it is probably affecting your confidence too.

Speech

You may notice that since losing your tooth your speech has become affected – this is very common. Your tongue and teeth are integral to how your words are formed, and when something is unexpectedly changed in your mouth, you can expect that it will affect how your words sound when you try and pronounce certain things.

Trouble chewing

You’ll have to make a concerted effort to find different areas of your mouth to tackle more challenging foods, ones that require more effort to bite, chew or break up.

Moving teeth

If you leave a gap unfilled you may find that other teeth begin to move around once they notice a space has been vacated. This can lead to issues with how your teeth look and feel – you may find that your ‘bite’ feels different as even small changes to where your teeth rest when you close your jaw feel significant.

With this in mind, it is no wonder that most patients choose to fill the gap of a missing tooth with a man-made equivalent. Implants and veneers can be fitted and will be designed to fit with your natural teeth as closely as possible. Not only will solutions such as this restore confidence and make you happier with your smile and how you’re able to annunciate, but they will help ensure that you don’t suffer further oral complications as a result of a missing tooth.