Tooth loss is a serious problem. Changing more than your appearance, missing teeth change how you eat and speak, and they impact the bone and gum tissue which support your smile. In Kitchener, ON, the expert dental team at Kitchener East Family Dental delivers excellent tooth replacement options, such as dental implants. You can regain your smile.

The negative effects of tooth loss

The statistics are sobering. The American College of Prosthodontists reports that 30 percent of all people over the age of 65 are edentulous, or missing all their teeth. A larger percentage are missing one or more teeth. Dear Doctor says that the back molars are the easiest targets for tooth decay, gum disease and fracture, and therefore, become the first teeth to be lost.

Sadly, tooth loss impacts so many aspects of a person's life, including:

• How efficiently you bite, chew, and digest your food
• Your personal appearance and self-confidence
• The image you project to co-workers, friends and family
• The position, strength and health of remaining natural teeth
• The size and density of the alveolar ridge, the portion of the jaw bone which anchors your teeth

In fact, Dear Doctor explains that due to a lack of physical force on the bone, it loses as much as 25 percent of its structure after dental extraction. The results are shorter bite height, skin wrinkling and sagging and an aged facial appearance.

What you can do

Don't panic or be complacent about tooth loss. With your dentist's help, you can have a complete smile. Kitchener East Family Dental offers several tooth replacement options, including fixed bridges, full and partial dentures and amazing dental implants.

To determine what option is best for you, your dentist will do a complete examination, X-rays, and oral impressions. If you qualify--and many teens and adults do--your dentist may offer you single-tooth implants or implant-supported dentures.

Both options are supported by screw-like implant devices placed into the jaw. Osseointegration melds the bone and implant together, providing sturdy, long-lasting artificial roots, efficient biting and chewing and natural smile appearance.

We'll help you 

At Kitchener East Family Dental, our caring team will work with you to counter the effects of tooth loss. Call our office for a personal consultation about dental implants and other prosthetics, and get your smile back! Phone (519) 578-2419.