Facing tooth loss can sometimes be intimidating; especially if you have to replace a significant amount of lost teeth. However, knowing what tooth loss entails, and having the necessary tools and expertise at your disposal to face it, can lessen your apprehension about life after lost teeth. Allen implant dentist, Dr. Marco Cueva, offers this quick tooth loss and replacement quiz to help you prepare to face tooth loss with confidence.
Losing & Replacing Teeth—The Quiz!
1.) Replacing a missing back tooth, or molar, isn’t as urgent as replacing a more noticeable incisor or canine tooth.
a.) True
b.) False
2.) What phenomenon can occur when a missing tooth throws your bite off balance?
a.) Your wisdom teeth will push your teeth together to close the gap
b.) Your remaining teeth may shift to try and take up the slack
c.) The gap can grow wider as food debris collects inside of it
3.) Dental bridges, partial dentures, and full dentures replace the visible parts of your teeth, called crowns. What do dental implants replace?
a.) Roots
b.) Enamel
c.) Also the crowns
4.) Your jawbone supports your teeth by securing their roots. However, why are the tooth roots important to your jawbone?
a.) The weight helps counter-balance your jaw when you open and close it
b.) Tooth roots keep your jawbone well-nourished
c.) Tooth roots aren’t important to your jawbone
Answers
1.) False—Every lost tooth can negatively affect your oral health, even if it’s unnoticeable to the general public. Your teeth were meant to last for a lifetime, and losing even one can affect your bite’s delicate balance.
2.) Remaining teeth may shift—Your bite exerts an incredible amount of pressure. To minimize damage to your teeth, gums, and jaw, this pressure must be evenly displaced throughout your bite. When you lose a tooth, this pressure displacement can be thrown completely out of whack, and your remaining teeth may shift in attempt to restore the balance.
3.) Roots—Dental implants are surgically inserted into your jawbone, where your teeth’s roots once were, and act as a secure, lifelike prosthetic root anchor for your tooth replacement.
4.) Roots keep your jawbone nourished—Biting and chewing stimulates the tooth roots buried in your jawbone, which tells your body how many teeth your jawbone must support so that it can receive an adequate amount of nutrients. Without the stimulation, the nutrient supply is decreased; replacing the roots with dental implants also helps restore this necessary aspect of healthy tooth roots and preserve your jawbone’s integrity.
Learn More About Tooth Replacement with Your Allen Implant Dentist
To learn more, schedule an appointment with your Allen implant dentist by calling (972) 390-9944 today. Located in the 75013 area, we proudly welcome patients from Allen, Plano, Richardson, McKinney, Frisco, Fairview, Murphy, Wylie, Lewisville, Carrolton, and surrounding communities.
