If you've recently lost one or more teeth, it might seem like there's no harm in putting off a replacement until later. Unfortunately, waiting to get a replacement for your missing tooth is one of the worst choices you can make for your oral health. Read on to find out why it's so important to get a tooth replaced now, rather than later.

Jaw Density Loss

One of the first things that happens after the loss of a tooth is a loss of bone density in the jaw. This happens to everyone, and you can potentially lose up to 25% of the bone width in your jaw in a single year.

The reason for this is that your teeth support the strength and health of your jaw. When you eat, the pressure of your teeth grinding against each other is shared with your jaw, and it encourages bone cells to develop. When that pressure is lost, so is the bone growth.

Additional Tooth Loss

Once one tooth goes, more are likely to follow. If you've already lost more than one tooth on separate occasions, you probably know this first-hand.

The reason you're more likely to lose teeth if you've lost one already is due to bone loss, as previously mentioned. The jaw becomes less able to support your remaining teeth, so teeth become loose.

In addition, when there's an open gap in your gums, neighboring teeth often begin to lean into it. This isn't a healthy position for teeth and will put strain and stress on the remaining teeth you have. As an added negative, it'll also throw your overall teeth alignment out of whack, leaving you with a crooked smile.

Change in Shape of Face

Lastly, the shape of your face and smile may change drastically. Due to tooth loss, your teeth may not rest against each other the way they once did. In addition, the bone loss you could experience without a dental replacement will cause your jaw to look less strong, which can lead to sagging skin. This can make you look older than you really are, and it only gets worse as you lose more teeth.

Losing teeth can happen to anyone at any age, but it's not something you can put off repairing. If you're missing one or more teeth, you're more likely to suffer these symptoms the longer you wait. Talk to a dentist today to get your missing teeth replaced with dental implants to ensure that your jaw and remaining teeth stay healthy.