If one or several older members of your family have lost teeth, then you might consider yourself more at-risk for losing teeth yourself. In some ways, this is true. For example, predispositions for conditions that lead to tooth loss, such as gum disease, can often be hereditary. However, losing teeth isn’t in itself something that you’re destined to deal with. For many patients in El Paso, TX, the right preventive care and maintenance can significantly improve their chances of preventing tooth loss. Even if you’ve already lost one or more teeth, you can prevent the loss of more with appropriate treatment.
A lesson in tooth loss
Tooth loss can occur for a number of different reasons, such as an accidental impact that knocks a tooth out of its socket, or a traumatic injury that knocks several of them out. The most common causes of tooth loss, however, are things that give you plenty of warning and time to address before they cost you one or more teeth. For example, the most frequent reason behind permanent tooth loss is severe gum disease. Many people neglect to treat the condition until it has eroded most of the supportive structures around their teeth (i.e., gum tissues and jawbone structure).
Addressing its causes
If you have gum disease, or are at increased risk of it, then addressing it is the most important step in preventing tooth loss. Even if it does develop, you can stop it from eroding your gums and jawbone structure, which preserves the support your teeth rely on. However, gum disease isn’t the only cause of tooth loss, and keeping your smile consistently healthy is necessary to prevent issues such as extreme tooth decay or increasingly worse tooth damage. In addition to sticking to a good hygiene routine at home, be sure to visit your dentist at least once every six months to keep your tooth loss risks under control.
Keeping tooth loss to a minimum
Unfortunately, many people experience tooth loss before they realize how high their risks for it are. If you’ve already lost one or more teeth, then your risks for losing more will increase. This is due to several reasons; the loss can cause remaining teeth to shift, the missing tooth root can cause your jawbone to shrink, and more. The best way to avoid losing more teeth is to replace the ones you’ve lost, preferably with a dental implant-supported prosthesis. The restoration will rebuild your smile’s healthy appearance while the root-like implant posts help stimulate and preserve your smile’s foundation.
Find out if you can prevent tooth loss
Preventing tooth loss may be easier than you thought, but prevention only works if it’s consistent. For more information about preventing tooth loss, schedule an appointment by calling the Sunny Smiles dental office nearest you in El Paso, TX, today! We also have offices in Chaparral, Canutillo, and Vinton so we can easily serve patients throughout all surrounding communities.