3 Surprising Causes Of Tooth Loss

Health & Medical Articles

If you lose a tooth as an adult, hose teeth aren't going to grow back. Luckily, there are great replacement options, like dental implants from places like Oral Surgery Center, that can keep you from walking around with a gap-toothed smile forever. Many times, when adults lose teeth, it's because of an unforeseeable accident like a vehicle or bicycle accident. But other causes of tooth loss are more preventable. Take a look at some surprising causes of tooth loss and how to avoid them.

Stress

Severe stress can cause all sorts of problems. It can affect your sleep, it can cause pain, it can weaken your immune system and make you more susceptible to disease. It can also make you more susceptible to tooth loss.

That's because stress can lead to bruxism. Bruxism is a condition that causes you to clench your teeth or grind them, often at night when you're sleeping and unaware and unable to stop the motions. This problem can become so severe over time that it cracks your teeth, wears them down, or causes them to become loose enough to fall out.

Bruxism can be treated with oral appliances that you wear at night to prevent your teeth from coming in contact with each other while you sleep. It can also be treated with various therapies to relive stress, medications, and in some cases, Botox injections.

Diabetes

Diabetics are at risk for several health problems. Most people suffering from diabetes already know they have to take special care of their eyes and their feet, among other things. What you may not know is that if you have diabetes, you're also at risk for tooth loss.

In an examination of over 2,500 dental patients, researchers found diabetics were missing an average of nearly 10 teeth. People without diabetes were missing less than seven teeth. This points to a definite link between diabetes and tooth loss. The tooth loss affected patients with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. The problem may be caused by high blood sugar, which interrupts the ability of gum tissue to receive nutrients and get rid of waste.

Diabetics can help prevent tooth loss by taking extra care with their oral hygiene routine. Skipping a brushing session or forgetting to floss even occasionally may be more detrimental to a person with diabetes than to the average person. Diabetics may also need to schedule extra visits with their dentists for cleanings and checkups – as many as four a year, instead of two.

Pregnancy

"Have a baby, lose a tooth." If you've heard that statement before, chances are you've simply waved it off as an old wives tale. While it was once commonly believed there was a connection between pregnancy and tooth loss, in more recent years this has been dismissed as just a myth, or as something that is no longer a concern because of the efficacy of modern dentistry. But recent evidence suggests those old wives were onto something after all.

As it turns out, not only do mothers lose more teeth than women who have never had children, mothers with more children lose more teeth – as many as seven, on average, for mothers of four children. Scientists speculate the tooth loss may be linked to pregnancy gingivitis, causes swollen and bleeding gums and is common in pregnant women. Skipping dentist appointments during pregnancy can also have an impact, and mothers may be more likely to neglect their own oral hygiene due to exhaustion and a lack of time for personal care.

If you do lose a tooth, dental implants are the best way to get your smile back to normal and prevent your teeth from shifting in your mouth, which can cause more dental pain. But it's best to avoid losing your teeth in the first place. Your dentist can help you manage your dental care during times of stress, health problems, and pregnancy. 

5 January 2015