Myth 5: You Do Not Need To Replace Missing Teeth Unless All The Teeth Are Missing

Whenever you lose a tooth it should be replaced as soon as possible to maintain the occlusal harmony (normal relationship between adjacent and opposing teeth). When a tooth is lost, the tooth behind it starts tipping into the empty space over a period of time. This happens because all the teeth have a continuous individual movement throughout their lifetime called the mesial migration. In simple terms, mesial migration occurs as a compensatory mechanism to keep the teeth in contact in spite of normal wearing of the surfaces. If mesial migration does not occur, then spaces will be formed between the teeth. If a tooth behind the empty space starts tipping into it, it loses the bone support soon and becomes loose and will have to be removed.

Also, the tooth in the opposite arch (upper/lower) starts over-erupting into the empty space because there is no opposing tooth to stop it. (As the biting surfaces wear off, the teeth keep moving out of their sockets continually to maintain contact with their opponents). If the lost tooth is not replaced in time, the opposing tooth will over-erupt to such an extent that, it will start injuring the gum in the empty space. Also it will lose its bone support, become loose and will have to be extracted.

If a tooth is not replaced soon after it is removed, successful treatment at a later date to provide dentures would be difficult due to the drifting and tipping of the opposing and adjacent teeth into the empty space.

If an empty space is not restored for a long time, the bone in that area becomes atrophied (the bone becomes flat), as that area gets no stimulation from a tooth while chewing. If many such spaces are left empty, the jawbones become flat and uneven. When a person with such jawbones tries to get complete dentures done when all the teeth are lost, the dentures will be quite unsatisfactory, as they do not get enough bone surfaces to rest on.

Needless to say, if a front tooth is lost and not replaced, the person’s appearance gets compromised along with his/her ability to pronounce certain words containing f and s.