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Is Having Straight Teeth Important?

Is Having Straight Teeth Important?

by | Apr 6, 2013 | Dentistry

When we are young our teeth make their way into our mouths through a process known as tooth eruption. How do they know when to stop erupting? Basically, they keep going until they find the opposing tooth. But what if we lose a tooth? Much like a computer program, the tooth opposite the missing one starts looking for the tooth that it is supposed to chew against. If it can’t find i

t, it may erupt all the way to the opposing gum. It’s not that the tooth is growing. The bone below (or above it) moves it into position. Of course, at this point, it’s in the wrong position, and entirely new problems often start to appear.Tooth Eruption Chart

If this were all that happened, we would have enough to worry about in terms of our ability to chew our food well. This is important for good digestion and nutrition. Unfortunately, when teeth border an empty space they also have a tendency to try to drift into it. This means that teeth may drift forward or backward toward the spaces. Perhaps this is nature’s way of distributing the load now that one of the soldiers has fallen. It is an engineering marvel, but it can become a chewing nightmare.

While all of our teeth are important, structurally, the loss of certain teeth will bring about more change than the loss of others. Think of this in terms of the walls of your house. If you take down a non-supporting wall, the house will still stand. Take out a supporting wall, however, and you have a bigger problem. Teeth are constructed much like an arch, though. If you have ever seen a stone arch, you know it has a keystone at the top that keeps the arch together. Remove that one stone, and the whole thing collapses. In your dental arch, you can think of your canines as a keystone. Lose them, and the ensuing change is rapid. If your teeth were straight, they often won’t be for too much longer.

So, why then, do people lose teeth? The most common reasons that I see are:

  1. Periodontal disease – this is sometimes also referred to as “gum disease” but is really a condition more directly affecting the bone. This is the result of a bacterial infection leading to the permanent breakdown of the bone surrounding the teeth. It is actually the most common form of tooth loss world-wide. Because it is generally not painful, often people have no idea that they have periodontal disease until their teeth start to get loose and fall out.
  2. Tooth decay – this is what many people think is the main cause of tooth loss. And while it is true that tooth decay often does lead to tooth loss, it follows periodontal disease in terms of frequency.
  3. Habits – this is the type of tooth loss that results from such things as tooth grinding or clenching. This area is one in which we often see a “domino-effect” of problems. Sometimes clenching or grinding starts with the loss of a single tooth or an accident resulting in a spinal misalignment. At other times, it may be due to stress, a deficiency, or genetic structural anomaly. In any of these cases, if the grinding or clenching results in the wear of your canines (those “key-stones” again), you may find yourself wearing down ALL of your teeth more rapidly. They are pointy for a reason. When you slide your teeth to the side, they are supposed to keep the back teeth from touching. If they wear down to the point where all of your teeth touch in all directions it is possible to wear them all down. Over the years I have had cases where what brought the patient in to see me in the first place was that they wore down their teeth to the point where they exposed their nerves. (Ouch!)
  4. Accidents – this speaks for itself. And it happens. It may be a sports injury, car accident, a fight, or biting into something hard – but if it breaks off enough of the tooth, it can need to be extracted.

Straight TeethWhatever the cause, if you lose a tooth, you should speak with your dentist about replacement options. Together you can discuss the choices that are best for your circumstance. Where possible, try not to delay correcting your bite for too long. The additional changes that may occur with your bite over time can limit your choices or cost you more to correct. While a nice, straight smile may be desirable cosmetically, a good bite is also important for health and function.

Tooth Loss and Replacement

Tooth Loss and Replacement

by | Mar 17, 2013 | Cavities, Dentistry, Periodontal Disease, Tooth Decay

When we are born we come into the world without teeth. Some of us leave the same way, but that really isn’t what nature intended.

When you are on a liquid diet having teeth doesn’t appear to be vital, since there is obviously nothing to chew. Nature pretty much handles a baby’s nutritional needs with mother’s milk. As we grow and begin to eat solid food, however, having and maintaining healthy teeth becomes an entirely different matter.

Tooth LossSo when teeth become lost due to cavities, periodontal disease or trauma, the consequences for good health can become significant. Let’s not forget that digestion begins in the mouth. There are actually two forms of digestion – mechanical and chemical.

Mechanical digestion is the grinding and tearing of food, as in chewing, in order to increase its surface area. Creating a greater surface area means that there is a better chance that chemical digestion can do its job. In chemical digestion, enzymes react with the food to help break it down into simpler substances which can either be absorbed in the bloodstream as nutrients or passed out of the body as waste. This process of breakdown and assimilation occurs within the digestive tract – but it starts in the mouth with your teeth, tongue, and saliva.

Because a full set of adult teeth numbers thirty-two, it seems many people feel the occasional loss of a tooth is a relatively insignificant event. And while it is true that a person can still function with thirty-one, the long-term consequence of losing just one tooth can be more significant than most people realize.

Keystone

While all of our teeth are important, structurally, the loss of certain teeth will bring about more change than the loss of others. Think of this in terms of the walls of your house. If you take down a non-supporting wall, the house will still stand. Take out a supporting wall, however, and you have a much bigger problem. Teeth are constructed much like an arch, though. If you have ever seen a stone arch, you know it has a keystone at the top that keeps the arch together. Remove that one stone, and the whole thing collapses. In your dental arch, you can think of your canines as a keystone. Lose them, and the ensuing change can be rapid. You can lose several teeth – even all – over time. But it’s not just the loss of canines that creates a problem.

Losing a first molar, for example, can create a domino effect of changes in your mouth that can affect your ability to chew easily. It can cause shifting of the teeth in a manner that even affects the appearance of your front teeth. Or, it can lead to periodontal problems and the formation of cavities on portions of the teeth that might not have been otherwise affected before the loss.

The point is that if you lose a tooth, you should consult your dentist about what tooth replacement options are right for you. Today, we have many ways of providing functional replacements that can improve your ability to chew your food, maintain your good appearance, and keep you from losing still more teeth. Depending upon your circumstances and financial considerations, these replacements may include removable dentures, bridges (which are non-removable, cemented tooth replacements), or dental implants (think of them as artificial tooth-roots that have crowns, bridges, or dentures attached to them).

If you are missing a tooth, speak with your dentist about what tooth replacement options are right for your situation. Replacing a lost tooth early is often much less involved (and costly) than when you begin to experience the problems resulting from long-term neglect.