Missing teeth (missing teeth) is a common oral disease. Some people believe that it doesn't matter if one or two teeth are missing, and the rest of the teeth can still function. There are even people who think that people will lose their teeth sooner or later when they get old, and it is not too late to get teeth when all the teeth are gone, but they don't know that these concepts are wrong. So, what are the dangers of missing teeth if they are not repaired as soon as possible?
Poor chewing function
After tooth loss, chewing function is affected. The degree of impact depends on the location and number of missing teeth. Missing anterior teeth can affect the ability to cut and bite food, and missing back teeth can affect the ability to grind and mash food. When the chewing function is reduced, the food that is not fully ground and mashed will directly enter the gastrointestinal tract for digestion, which will increase the burden on the digestive system and affect the absorption of nutrients due to insufficient digestion. In the long run, it can also affect the function of the digestive system and even cause related diseases. In addition, if all teeth are missing, it will be difficult for the mouth to close forcefully due to the loss of dental support, and the process of swallowing food by the tongue muscles squeezing the food backwards will also be affected.
It can affect other teeth
When a tooth is missing, the remaining teeth will be burdened with the remaining teeth, and the adjacent teeth will also lose their restraint and support, which will greatly increase the burden on the remaining teeth. If it is not repaired for a long time, it may cause tilting of adjacent teeth and elongation of jaw teeth. The tilt and length of the teeth can easily disrupt the contact relationship between adjacent teeth and cause food impaction, which in turn can cause or promote the occurrence of caries and periodontal disease. When the number of remaining teeth is small, due to the excessive occlusal force they bear, it will cause rapid loss of alveolar bone, loosening or even loss of teeth.
Changes in facial expression
Teeth play an important role in maintaining the appearance of the face, especially the front teeth. Missing front teeth can make people look less youthful and energetic, making people look old. In addition, when most or all of the teeth are missing, the lip and buccal muscles of the face will be sunken inward due to the loss of the support of soft and hard tissues, the fullness of the lips will deteriorate, the facial folds will increase, the nasolabial folds will deepen, the corners of the mouth will sink, and the face will show obvious aging.
Ill-articulated pronunciation
Missing teeth, especially anterior teeth, can cause slurred pronunciation, commonly known as speech leakage. The dental sounds such as "Zi" and "Si", as well as the labial-dental sounds "wind" and "fly" will have unclear pronunciation, and the slurred pronunciation will have a great impact on the patient's social activities and even affect the mental health.
Affects masticatory muscles and temporomandibular joints
After tooth loss, due to the reduction of chewing function on the missing side, patients may develop the habit of chewing laterally, which will adversely affect the function of masticatory muscles and the related nervous system, and involve the temporomandibular joint, causing joint discomfort. In addition, after a large number of missing teeth or a long period of missing teeth, occlusal interference will be formed due to the inclination and elongation of the remaining teeth, and in severe cases, occlusal relationship disorder can also be caused, which becomes a risk factor for temporomandibular joint disorder.