Living without teeth is tough. It’s embarrassing to show a smile with an unsightly gap in it. It can even make you look and feel older than you are. But you’ve learned to live with it, right? It’s not something you need to worry about right now, is it?

Actually, missing teeth can be a serious problem, especially if you’re missing several. Here’s why.

  • Jawbone deterioration: Normally, your teeth’s roots extend into the jawbone. This is what makes them so strong. Every time you bite, pressure goes down the root and stimulates the bone tissue there. Your jawbone is designed for this. When your tooth goes missing, so does its root. The bone tissue there no longer gets any stimulation from the root. Without that, the tissue starts to deteriorate. Over time, your jawbone will get weaker and even thinner.
  • Changes to lips and face: Your face looks the way it does because of the bone structure underneath. If you make changes to that, then you are making changes to your face. Your lips cover your teeth. When you are missing teeth, your lips can look different. There’s less underneath them supporting their shape. If your jawbone deteriorates severely, you could even start looking different in your jawline.
  • Difficulty eating: This may seem obvious, but people tend to take teeth for granted. When we’re hungry, we eat. Simple as that, right? But not if you’re missing some teeth. Molars are needed to crush tough foods like carrots. Incisors help you tear up meat for easy chewing. Some foods like corn-on-the-cob are almost impossible to eat without your front teeth. When you are missing teeth, it gets harder to do something as important as chew your food.
  • Increased risk of cavities and gum disease: Tooth decay and gum disease are caused by bacteria. They eat tiny particles of food and drink left behind from eating and drinking. The more particles left behind, the more bacteria threaten your dental health. That’s why brushing and flossing are so important. When you have a gap in your mouth, those particles can easily build up there. That attracts bacteria. The teeth near the gap are more likely to get cavities. You’re also more likely to get gingivitis at that gap.
  • Tooth movement: Your adult teeth lean against each other for support. That’s mostly what stops them from moving after you’ve had orthodontic work like braces, ClearCorrect, or Invisalign. When a tooth goes missing, so does that support. The teeth on either side of the gap will start to slide toward it. Your even smile will soon look misaligned, gapped, and crooked.
  • Loss of self-esteem: It’s hard to feel good about yourself when you are missing teeth. No one wants to see a gap in your smile, especially not you. It’s embarrassing. When you know that tooth is gone, your self-esteem and confidence will be lower.

All of that is true for just one missing tooth. Now, what happens if you’re missing most or even all of the teeth on the top or bottom of your mouth? Things go from bad to very, very bad. (Except for tooth movement, admittedly.)

Enter Teeth In A Day™

Sure, there are several tooth replacement options. Dental implants can replace the occasional missing one, as can a dental bridge. Dentures can replace a full arch of teeth. All three take time, though. For example, implants need to heal 4-6 months before a permanent replacement can be attached. Given all of the health problems caused by missing teeth, why wait any longer than you have to?

With Teeth in a Day, you can get replacements in one day. Here’s how it works:

  • Dr. Kirchner thoroughly examines your teeth and jawbone. He coordinates with a surgeon to plan and place the implants.
  • Four to six implants are surgically placed in your jawbone using a method similar to All-on-4® implants.
  • A full set of temporary replacement teeth is attached to the implants. Due to the careful planning and special placement of those implants, the temporaries can be connected immediately.
  • You go home with a normal mouth. The implants protect the bone tissue, you can eat normally, and your face looks normal again.
  • Eventually, the implants will fuse with the bone. At that time, you will come back to our Jeffersonville, IN dental office. Dr. Kirchner will remove the temporary replacements and connect permanent ones to those implants. You are done!

Missing teeth can lead to big health problems. That’s why replacing them is important, and why Teeth in a Day is so helpful. Call us today at 812-913-6093 to learn more about how Teeth in a Day can improve your health.