If you haven’t already lost a tooth, you might fear that you’re destined to, one day. The good news is that you’re likely not – in fact, despite its widespread occurrence, adult tooth loss is highly preventable with the right care and maintenance. Since dental diseases (like gum disease) are the leading cause of adult tooth loss, keeping your mouth clean, healthy, and disease-free is the best way to help prevent adult tooth loss in the future.
How to Keep Your Teeth for Life
- Gum disease, the leading cause of tooth loss, develops over time as oral bacteria gather along the gum line and work their way underneath the gums. By brushing and flossing your teeth carefully at least twice every day, you can largely control this bacterial accumulation and reduce your risks of gum disease. Pay special attention to the gum line when brushing, angling the brush to more effectively clear away bacteria and plaque.
- If one or more of your teeth become worn down, develop a cavity, or sustain a crack or fracture, then allow your dentist to restore it as soon as possible. The longer a tooth remains damaged or infected, the worse the situation will become, and the greater your risk will be of losing the tooth or needing to extract it.
- If you lose one or more teeth, then you can still improve your chances of retaining the rest by replacing them with a dental implant-supported prosthetic. Dental implants replace the roots of your lost teeth, consequently reestablishing stimulation in your jawbone that prevents it from losing density. Implants are the only prosthetic option that can significantly reduce your risks of tooth loss in the future.
