Missing Teeth

1. Your tooth died – plaque forms on your teeth if not cleaned away, which can dissolve the minerals that harden enamel. In time, this can destroy your teeth by creating holes.
2. Your gums are inflamed – gums are made up of tissue and ligaments that keep your teeth stable. They work as protective shields for your tooth roots and stimulate your jaw bone to grow around the tooth. When bacteria cause an inflammation of the gums, these ligaments start vanishing, the gum pulls back, and the bone around the tooth reduces.
3. You had an accident – accidents can lead to the loss of one or more teeth and cause trauma to your gums and surrounding bone; unfortunately, in most cases, the trauma only becomes apparent months or even years after the incident, after it has already impacted the tooth root.
4. It’s genetics – An illness called ‘Congenital Anodontia’ causes people to be born with a reduced number of teeth or, in severe cases, no teeth at all. In some instances, adult teeth are not developed. Another genetic dental problem is ‘Ectodermal Dysplasia’, which is when the surface of the tooth (enamel) doesn’t have enough strength and therefore creates a cone or peg-shaped tooth/teeth.

When you lose teeth, it disturbs the connection between teeth and bone. Gum and bone are no longer stimulated well enough due to missing teeth, so the jaw bone starts shrinking, and your gum pulls back. This can weaken neighbouring teeth until they collapse. Teeth in the opposite jaw can then start growing into the gap.

Missing teeth and a reduced jawbone can make your face look older and wrinkly, and your cheeks can become hollow and saggy because they can no longer fully stabilise your lips and cheeks from the inside.

Every tooth counts.

• Change your smile
• Tooth movement
• Speech problems
• Difficulty eating
• Cracked or chipped

Your options for replacing teeth: 

Dental Implants – Replace a missing tooth and act like your natural tooth root.

Dentures – A removable replacement for missing teeth can be fixed to implants.

Bridges – Replaces a missing tooth or teeth and attaches to stable teeth.

Crowns – A shell that fits snugly over your natural tooth.