It goes without saying that nobody wants to lose a natural tooth, let alone multiple. While concerns such as dental decay and infection are common threats that can influence your smile’s health over time, nontraditional concerns such as bruxism and obstructive sleep apnea can also cause significant complications. Without proper treatment in a timely manner, you can face the loss of multiple structures as well. In today’s blog, your Lake Orion, MI dentist takes a look at the way decay can compromise multiple adjacent structures, and how an implant-retained dental bridge can provide a seamless appearance.
How Decay Causes Tooth Loss
Like many other oral concerns, dental decay begins when oral bacteria lurk in the hard-to-reach areas of the mouth and wreak havoc. Here, they feed off the food and sugars that we eat, causing them to secrete harmful acids that actively break down your teeth.
As time progresses, the infection will begin to eat away at much of your structure and cause a small hole to form known as a cavity. In many cases, cavities can be hard to detect on one’s own, and can even progress significantly before you even notice there is an issue.
Time is not on your side when it comes to infection and your health, and the longer you wait for treatment, the worse the situation will become. For instance, infection will spread internally and damage your inner dental pulp as well as your nerves. If it gets much worse than this, you will likely face the reality of dental extraction. To learn more about the dangers of progressing decay, reach out to our team today.
It Tends to Follow a Pattern
When a person loses an oral structure, the concern does not stop there. For instance, loss is often caused by infection and decay, and when a tooth is no longer present, that does not mean the infection is gone as well.
As a matter of fact, once you lose a tooth, your chances of losing the surrounding or adjacent teeth increases exponentially. To best avoid this issue, your dentist may recommend the help of a dental implant or bridge. For more information about this process, reach out to our team today.
Dental Bridges are Here to Help
Losing a few consecutive teeth negatively influence your appearance, function, and overall health. A dental bridge restoration consists of two or more custom crowns bonded to one another that is intended to span the length of your gap. What’s more? The use of dental porcelain helps create a lifelike resemblance to your natural teeth.
Learn More Today
Contact Lake Orion Family Dentistry in Lake Orion, MI by calling 248-693-6213 to learn more about the benefits of prosthodontics, and schedule your next appointment with our team today.