Dentures

 What happens if I don’t replace the gap?

1. Facial Appearance: without support from the denture, facial muscles sag over time and wrinkles form, causing you to appear older than you are. Excessive force on your remaining teeth can cause them to shorten at an accelerated rate, shortening the space between your nose and chin and also making you appear older.

2. Alignment Changes: remaining teeth will begin to move into the space left by the missing tooth, leading to bite collapse and leaving sensitive roots exposed. The teeth next door may tilt into the gap, increasing the risk of fracturing due to poor distribution of force and making it difficult to replace the gap with a denture. The opposing tooth will continue to grow/over-erupt to fill the missing gap, causing root exposure and the tooth to become mobile.

   Misaligned teeth may cause pain that radiates throughout the face, head, neck, and even the back.

3. Difficulty Eating: if you are missing multiple back teeth, you will likely find difficulty with eating. Foods that are rich in vitamins and fibre, like fruits and vegetables, may be particularly difficult to chew and avoiding these healthy foods may result in nutritional deficiencies and digestive problems.