Warren Dentist Talks About Missing Teeth

Hi, I’m Dr. Gregory Apsy here in Warren, Michigan. We’re at 11270 13 Mile between Hoover and VanDyke. Today I’d like to speak about missing teeth. A lot of us go through our lives and are now maintaining all of our teeth. But it does happen in some cases for various reasons that either the teeth don’t form. Genetically they weren’t part of the makeup of that person. So sometimes there are missing teeth and sometimes they’re lost from gum disease or decay, or failing dentists, dental treatments. In any case, when a tooth is lost, we need to be considering how we are going to replace it. Of course, in the front of the mouth if a tooth is missing replacement is the need for replacement for most people is very clear; this affect detracts greatly from the smile, and we would really like to have the tooth replaced. In the back of the mouth there are reasons to replace teeth as well. When a tooth is lost in between other teeth, what we see happening is the teeth behind, and sometimes in front of the space, will begin to tip into the space. And as that happens, the bite changes. It can create problems in the joints. And we also will see that the teeth above the missing tooth will drop down as well. What ends up happening, if there’s no replacement tooth put into the space is that we end up having, down the road, to remove other teeth that have fallen into a very poor position. And so we’re having to remove extra teeth. So it seems that when 1 tooth is lost, it’s a domino effect, that it’s affecting the rest of the dentition and can affect the joints and creates, it can create very serious problems.

We do recommend, when a tooth is lost that the tooth be replaced, and, there are options for replacement. Those options are either, implants, fixed bridgework or partial dentures, removable partial dentures, and there’s a wide range in costs for those different options and so, if you happen to be without a tooth, give us a call at 586-573-7700 and we will discuss with you your options of treatment.