Can I Get Braces if I am Missing Teeth?

Accidents happen, and some of them can result in a permanent loss of adult teeth. Whether these are visible front teeth or molars in the back, missing teeth can have a profound effect on your life. While you may have had cause to believe that you can’t get braces if you are missing teeth, the fact is that if you are missing teeth from your smile, getting braces may be more of an urgent need than you think.

Braces Can Help Those Who Have Lost Teeth

You may have lost teeth for any number of reasons ranging from hygiene to trauma, but those missing teeth continue to have an impact. This can cause teeth to naturally drift in the direction of the missing tooth, causing not only a crooked smile, but also an uncomfortable bite that no longer lines up. Additionally, bottom teeth that are missing top teeth (and vice versa) may drift to fill the gap of the missing tooth, causing difficulty in keeping them clean or even making the loss of that tooth more likely.

Missing Teeth Can Lead to Serious Conditions

One of the most common concerns of someone who has lost a tooth is that they may lose more, and there is a number of reasons why this is more likely. Drifting teeth may impact unevenly on teeth below them when chewing, gradually and painfully loosening the tooth. In some cases, this may even expose the roots of the teeth, necessitating a root canal or tooth extraction. In an aesthetic sense, missing and drifting teeth can have a serious effect on your appearance that may leave you looking much older than you actually are.

How Braces Help 

These days, a missing tooth is no longer a permanent condition. There are many options that can once again give you a complete smile. However, these options will be easier to put into place once existing dental issues such as crowding and spacing have been resolved. Braces can preserve the available space to make sure that there is room for a tooth restoration procedure.

Have you lost a tooth and found yourself wondering what it will take to straighten out your smile? We can help you at the office of Brodie Bowman, DMD, with locations in Niceville and Fort Walton Beach. Contact us today to book an appointment!

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