There are several consequences from a lack of teeth that can put people to a disabling state that is manifested by a series of functional, aesthetic, psychological and social disorders in a patient.
With the total loss of the teeth, a series of alterations within the oral tissues will begin and these should be corrected during a prosthetic treatment.
3 Consequences of Tooth Loss Over Time
The consequences of tooth loss occur at different levels, affecting the patient both in their dental aesthetics and functional capacity. We can group the main consequences of the lack of teeth in facial alterations, functional alterations, and intraoral alterations.
Facial alterations due to the lack of teeth
The facial consequences from the lack of teeth include:
- A decrease of the mouth’s vertical dimension.
- Loss of bone support for the peri-oral tissues: distorted lips: sinking labial, loss of lip expression and widened mouth.
- Pseudo-prognathism because the jaw will rotate counterclockwise on the intercondylar axis, looking for the stability provided by the teeth. Also, the different mechanisms of resorption in both jaws accentuate the discrepancy between the two arches (reabsorption in the vestibular face is predominantly in the upper jaw, while in the lower jaw, it is predominantly within the lingual area).
Intraoral changes because of tooth loss
The intraoral consequences from the lack of teeth are:
- Decrease in the area of adherent mucosa, with a smaller support area.
- Resorption of the alveolar process, which is more intense in the jaw than in the maxilla. When this resorption is very intense, it causes the appearance of irregularities or alterations on the jaw surface, making even more difficult to set up a removable denture.
- Loss of proprioceptors of the periodontal ligament that controls the intensity of masticatory forces and decreased epicritic sensitivity.
- Relative macroglossia, when invading the tongue space that is limited by the teeth
Functional alterations
The functional consequences from the lack of teeth are:
- The insufficient crushing of food requiring compensatory mechanisms for digestion.
- The loss of proprioception and the morphological differences between the prosthesis and the teeth themselves produce dynamic problems during the chewing process which forces the patient to learn new patterns of masticatory movements.
- The lack of mandibular stability causes a difficulty in the elevation of the hypopharynx with poor swallowing of saliva and bolus, which can lead to choking and digestive alterations.
- Phonation problems.
In conclusion, tooth loss is a progressive atrophy that creates severe functional and psychological problems for the patient. If you are currently suffering from this, please contact Healthy Smiles Santa Clarita at (661) 260-1220 and schedule your appointment with Dr. Sarkis today.
(661) 260-1220