I lost a tooth and I can still eat why do I need to replace them?

Did you know 69 percent of adults from age 35 to 44 has all already lost at least one permanent tooth. by age 50 they have lost 12! What this tell us is that it is not a matter of how but a matter of when. But many of my question ask me this:

"I have lost my tooth for several years and It doesn't bother me at all except for the space. Why do I need to replace it?"

The truth is you don't have to because ultimately the purpose of teeth are esthetics and function. If it doesn't affect either then it is not a necessity to replace that tooth. That is what every patient wants to hear; however, the truth is that there are unknown costs associated with not replacing that tooth.
The cost varies depending on the position of the tooth.

Majority of patients are most likely to lose their molar the first big tooth in their mouth because that tooth has been in your mouth since you were six. The second most likely lost tooth is generally the front tooth and that is purely due to accidents.

If you lose a front tooth, I don't think I need to tell you why it needs to be replaced. However most people only think about the esthetic function of the front tooth and forget that losing your front teeth will also affect your speech.

The first molar accounts for about 70% of your chewing force on that side. People who lost that tooth young will simply try to chew on the opposite side and only really notice about a 20% decrease in chewing function. So whats the big deal?

Here is three reasons why not replacing teeth will end up costing you more than replacing them.

1. 1) Teeth will move and erupt in ways in order regain contact with each other. What this means is the teeth next to the extraction site will tilt towards each other and the tooth on top which is no longer touching any teeth will erupt downwards. This creates food traps and causes these teeth to be more difficult to manage and maintain clean. This means that one tooth problem has now become a four tooth problem. These teeth are more likely to have problems and now we maybe talking about treating all four instead of just one tooth. There's a reason why it took most people 44 years only to lose one tooth but after 44 patients quickly lost up to 12 teeth in the next few years.
   
2.  You have now lost 70% of the biting force of one side of your mouth this means that  the other side is now taking that much more bite force. Our body lives in homeostasis that is the balance, the ying and the yang for how our body stays healthy. When you lose your biting force on one side you tend to abuse the other. Without the balance patients are much more likely to fracture or crack the teeth are on the other side so again it has become a multi tooth problem
   
   
   
3. If you plan on having a implant done in the future you must understand after an extraction bone resorbs significantly. This is why we recommend having bone grafts done but you must understand the bone graft will start to resorb after about a year. Without the adequate amount of bone implants can't be placed. What this means is that when you do decided one day that implants is a necessity, your bone will have already resorbed. This means you will often times need more expensive and larger bone grafts which double your treatment time. These grafted sites also have much higher rate of failure for the implant. These grafts also require some very expensive materials complicated surgery which most general dentist can't do. This mean you have now just doubled or sometimes tripled the price of your implant procedure. 

So what do I do now?

Both implants and bridges are adequate ways to replace a tooth the only problem with bridges is that you are now creating a three tooth problem instead of simply replacing the one.  We always recommend keeping your tooth virgin meaning untouched by a drill. Still having a bridge made is still better than having nothing done to restore the balance to your bite. It is true we no longer recommend bridges but we have been doing bridges for the past 80 years prior to implants. It not ideal but it works.

I know implants can be pricey but by servicing yourself when it is necessary it can actually save you money and time in the long term. Remember time is money. I don't think I need to tell you that being able to speak and eat is an important part of our lives. By waiting to get your teeth replaced and waiting until further problems appear you are now in much longer treatment, much more pain, much more wasted time in a dental chair. Remember the term opportunity costs? By replacing those teeth you also will gain more confidence in your everyday life allowing for you to be more productive on a                                                          daily basis.

If cost is an issue, dentist now have payment plans and different ways for you to finance your treatment. Don't be a statistic have your teeth replaced and regain control of your overall health.