One of the first things you’ll think about when losing a tooth is how it will affect your appearance. Tooth loss can be embarrassing, sapping your confidence, and making you afraid to smile. A bridge, or even a single tooth denture, could restore your smile and your confidence, but only a dental implant procedure will give you a functional equivalent to a natural tooth.
If you don’t replace a missing tooth in San Mateo, a few things will occur…
- Without a root in place, the jaw will start to deteriorate. The bone will shrink to a point where it can be difficult to act as the foundation for an implant in the future or even compromise the support of the surrounding teeth, which can increase the risk for further tooth loss. You can replace a missing tooth in San Mateo to help prevent this.
- Problems also develop above the gum line. Teeth naturally push toward one another. The entire smile needs to be intact to prevent tooth movement. With a missing tooth, the surrounding teeth will push toward the empty space. This can cause problems with alignment and your bite and increases the risk of tooth loss and orthodontic problems.
- The risk of bacteria and plaque building up around teeth and gums increases when you don’t replace a missing tooth in San Mateo.
Considering this, it’s quite obvious why it’s necessary to replace a missing tooth in San Mateo, but not all restoration options are equal. Even with dental bridges and single tooth dentures, density in the jawbone will be lost. A dental implant procedure is the only way to stimulate the root, preserve the jaw, and restore the function and aesthetic of your smile.