Phyllis Diller has rightly said “A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.” A smile is a wonderful tool that makes an everlasting impression, builds confidence and boosts a person’s self esteem. A smiling face is always appealing, but there are many people who are very conscious about their smile because they have missing teeth. The condition of missing teeth can be found in any age group but majority of people suffering from this condition are old aged.
It is important to remember that most elderly people who have missing teeth need empathy than sympathy. Family support goes a long way to help them regain their confidence and restore their smiles back.
Dr.Gopal Kamath, a well known Dentist explains,“Partial or complete absence of teeth in the mouth is called Edentulism. If some teeth are missing then it is called Partial Edentulism as opposed to Complete Edentulism when all the teeth are missing. Dr Gopal Kamath adds Edentulism can be prevented by maintaining proper tooth hygiene.”
Causes of Edentulism:
- One of the major causes of tooth loss is gum disease or periodontal disease which occurs due to poor dental hygiene. People who do not brush or floss their teeth regularly suffer from partial or full tooth loss. Dr Gopal Kamath, Dentist says, “Tooth loss can be caused by tooth decay where a painful tooth is extracted either because the patient wishes to do so or if the tooth is not salvageable by dental treatment. Teeth are also lost due to Gum disease where the teeth become loose and trouble the patient while chewing and are not salvageable by gum surgery
- Besides poor dental care, people (generally men) who are older than 35 and who smoke are at a higher risk for this condition.
- Tooth loss also occurs due to temporomandibular joint disorder or TMJ which is characterized by jaw pain and may result in tooth loss due to physical stress that it places on the surrounding bone structure and teeth.
- Other causes of teeth loss can be trauma, accident, surgery, by patient’s choice, due to medical treatment etc
Problems faced by people who suffer from Edentulism.
Individuals with Edentulism have to deal with altered appearance as there is a huge change in the persons look because the teeth which support the facial muscles are no longer present. Loss of teeth changes the facial structure- unsupported lips, sunken cheeks, collapsed jaw line which makes the chin and nose appear closer are some of the changes that occur in edentulous individuals.
Edentulism affects the facial bone which reduces in height and thickness and the jaw bone also begins to shrink which makes the face look older.
Edentulous individuals face changes in their speech as most of the words and sounds that we make depend upon our front teeth. Ill fitting dentures also affects speech as the individual generally tenses the facial muscle or constantly uses the tongue to hold the dentures in place which results in slurred speech and clicking noises.
Stress and other psychosocial factors may also have a great impact on their health status. There are studies that prove that edentulous individuals are at a higher risk of cardio vascular diseases.
It is seen that edentulous individuals are less confident about their appearance. They generally feel embarrassed and hesitate to meet public without teeth. They feel shy to smile, meet people or talk to them.
Treatment:
Edentulism is a preventable condition but when it occurs there are very few treatment options available Dr. Gopal Kamath says, “Edentulism is treated by replacing the missing teeth by using Removable Partial Dentures, Fixed Partial Dentures, Implants and Complete Dentures.”
Complete dentures replace all the teeth in both the jaws. They make eating comfortable. Dental implants can replace some or all of the missing teeth with the help of fixed bridge. A fixed bridge is a device in which the false tooth is anchored to the surrounding natural teeth or dental implant.
However, advances in dental technology offers a combination of dental implants and dental crowns. The combination of these two technologies which are designed after actual teeth and teeth roots offer results which are very similar in behavior to the natural sets. The combination technology is one of the best options available to solve the problem of Edentulism. However, it is advised that patients should carefully consider their treatment options with a dentist.
With the advent of latest dental technologies, edentulous individuals can now be more confident and flaunt their beautiful smile.
