Learning to Take Better Care of Your Family's Teeth

Examining An Important Reason To Have Your Missing Teeth Replaced Soon

Many people have a molar or two extracted and never think anything about it, going on as usual. However, if you have had a few teeth extracted, especially molars you use for chewing your food, you may also have begun to have headaches or neck pain. You may hear a cracking noise every time you open your mouth to take a bite. Learn more about a condition called TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorder) and how you can suffer its symptoms because of a few missing teeth.

What Can Happen When Your Teeth Are Missing

For many people, having a painful tooth pulled out is an extreme relief, and once the tooth is gone, they forget about it. However, when a tooth is extracted, it does have an impact on your bite, causing it to shift. When your bite shifts, it causes strain on the muscles attached to the temporomandibular joint. The longer the muscle strain lasts, the greater the wear and tear is on the temporomandibular joint, causing headaches and other painful, uncomfortable symptoms.

Missing Teeth Can Cause Inflammatory Issues In The Jaw Joint

When your teeth experience dental height loss because of missing teeth, it cause your jaw joint, the temporomandibular joint, to work harder. As time passes, you will experience pain related to the inflammation in the jaw joint because of wear and tear in the wrong direction. An example is how hip or knee joints become inflamed with arthritis because of wear and tear—your jaw joint being no different. If you have teeth extracted, taking steps to have them replaced with a dental bridge or implant is vital to avoid the painful symptoms of TMJ.

Dental Bridges Evenly Distribute Biting Pressure

The shift in your bite caused by missing teeth can be repaired with dental bridges. Dental bridges can also help to improve your smile and your ability to speak clearly. When the shift of your bite is corrected with a dental bridge, you can avoid the pain caused by TMJ. If you have avoided the procedure for a dental bridge because you think they are like dentures, you should know a dental bridge is permanent and does not come out like dentures. Dental bridges are cemented to crowns, implants, or your natural teeth and do not budge—the reason chewing and biting shifts will stop having an impact on your jaw joint.

Your optimum health depends on you being able to chew your food properly. If your bite is off kilter, your jaw bone will be affected, making it painful to chew. If you have missing teeth, visit a dentist at a location like Gordon Dental soon to learn more about your options for a dental bridge.


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