The cost of a single implant can run around $2000 or even higher. Many people have multiple implants.
They have a lot of money wrapped up in their mouths.
How can you avoid running into the same fate? I guess it would make the most sense to look at what causes tooth loss and try to prevent that, right?
The primary cause of tooth loss, you can ask any dental professional about this, is gum disease. It's a serious problem that many people have. Perhaps as many as 3 out of every 4 people have some gum disease.
What can prevent or reverse gum disease?
The answer to that question can vary from person to person. I should point out that if you have gum disease or think you might, you should be under the care of a dentist or periodontist. This is critical.
Most people with gum disease have periodontal pocket depths (something that your hygienist or dentist can measure) of 3mm or greater.
Generally speaking, most dental professionals would say that any depths above 3mm are a problem. Also, generally speaking, 3mm and below is considered healthy.
Therefore, you want to get all of your periodontal pocket depths to 3mm and below.
If the gums are healthy at that point, you have successfully avoided the number on cause of tooth loss!
One Way This Can Happen.
This has worked for many people. Nothing works 100% of the time for 100% of the people. But here is the process in a nutshell.
Find out what your current periodontal pocket readings are. Use the HydroFloss for at least a month.
And then go back to your dental health professional and see if your readings have improved or returned to the 3mm and below levels that are generally considered healthy.
If so, that was a success - if confirmed to be so by your dentist or periodontist.
Continue to use the HF and get your regular cleanings and checkups. Always inquire about those pocket depths so that you can keep an eye on them. Good work!
The most important thing to understand is that you cannot leave things the way they are when you have a missing tooth.
That tooth worked in opposition to another tooth. With a hole there, the other teeth will start to shift around. This could (will most likely) over time, throw your bite of.
That in turn will create uneven wear on your teeth. That is just one small problem that can (most likely) happen.
Therefore it is important that you either get an implant or a denture. Implants can be quite expensive and dentures are not usually cheap either. Then there is the daily care involved.
You can talk over with your dentist or implantologist about what the costs and benefits / disadvantages of each are.
But do not leave a hole where a tooth used to be, this can cause many problems. It is important to get that fixed up right away.
Don't Lose Any More Teeth
The most common cause of tooth loss is gum disease. More teeth are lost to gum disease than anything else. It is tragic because many people have gum disease and have no idea that they have it. No one has really explained what is going on to them.
Dentists and hygienists probably see diseased gum tissue every day. Patients just do not fully understand what they are headed for.
Therefore, you should consider learning as much as you can about prevention and possibly stopping the progression of gum disease as soon as possible.
I guess that you would agree (I sure hope so) that you should do everything you can to save your remaining teeth.
In addition to seeing your dentist as soon as possible, here are some resources for you to learn from:
I wish you the best in preventing additional tooth loss. There is a number at the top of the screen if anything on this site sparks additional questions.
I remember reading about this a few years back. If memory serves correctly, researchers in Canada were able to regrow a human tooth invivo (in the human mouth).
They were using some type of electric stimulation. As I remember it, the only requirement was that there was some part of the root left alive.
I don't have these references handy. I would like to ask you, dear reader, to find those references and post them in the comment area below. Perhaps we can bring together obscure information into one place and show people what is really possible.
Why haven't you heard of this before? There may be a variety of reasons. Can you guess what any of them might be?
Here is a news article about regrowing teeth, but it is a different method than electrical stimulation. If you can find a reference for me on the latter, please post it below.
That sounds like a strange question, doesn't it? There are many people who don't worry about their teeth at all. For example, many young people probably don't give their teeth a second thought.
Others have given up on their teeth. They know they have big problems but have no idea how to solve them and perhaps cannot afford the expensive solutions that are offered to them.
Or perhaps, a person just lacks the right knowledge and is frustrated for the lack of it.
Ultimately, it comes down to a simple question: Do you want to keep your teeth or do you not care?
Yes or No are BOTH valid answers. There is no 'right' answer. There is only YOUR answer.
Whichever answer you prefer is fine for you.
Why Did I Ask This Question?
I asked it because if the answer is: "Yes, my teeth are worth saving", then read on. If you answered no, then there is no point in spending any more time here. I want to save you some time if that is the case.
To me, saving teeth means keeping them for a lifetime of good service. Yes, people do have accidents. It is less frequent to lose a tooth due to a cavity. Far and away, the biggest cause of tooth loss is gum disease.
If you want to keep your teeth, that is the problem you need to focus on.
"Wait a minute," I hear you object. "I don't have gum disease." Yes, that is what the vast majority of people think and believe.
The reality is quite different. Dental professionals tell us that 3 out of every 4 people have gum disease. That is 75%.
However, as I mentioned before, very few of those people know they have it. No one has told them they have a problem, so everything must be ok, right?
Then one day, you are sitting in the dentist's chair and you get the news that you need gum surgery, you need a tooth pulled and an implant installed, a deep cleaning treatment - or some variation on this theme.
You freak out. "I'm going to lose a tooth".
The big question is, can this scenario be prevented?
The answer is, "Maybe". But in order to have hope, one must believe in Prevention!
A Little Stronger, Please?
Let me spell it out for you. If you are a non-dental professional, this may come as a shock. Most people are going to lose one or more teeth to gum disease and the majority have no idea this is going to happen to them.
If you don't believe me, ask any dental professional. They will break the bad news to you further.
But, maybe you can prevent it from happening.
Prevention Is The Key
As soon as I mention prevention, people think of brushing and flossing their teeth. Those activities are very important. If you have being doing them, great, keep doing it according to your doctor's instructions. If you haven't been brushing and flossing adequately, then it is time to start.
However, brushing and flossing are not enough for most people. (But it is for some).
The dangers are real and they are clear. The resources above can help to educate you and point you in the right direction.
The idea is to improve your odds of keeping your teeth and avoiding the costly treatments experienced during the process of losing and replacing them.
Think about this: It is not very often that you come across a dental office or periodontist's office waiting room that isn't full. What do you think all those people are doing there?
Some of the same principles that help to protect you and fight gum disease are the same ones that can help you to avoid cavities as well.
There are plenty of people willing to help you when you have a problem. They can replace your teeth, they can do all kinds of treatments.
But, only you have the power to do something at home. What you do, every day, at home is the most important thing when it comes to your dental health. There aren't many, if any, dental professionals that would disagree with that. You can find one to ask if you don't believe me.
* this site speaks in general terms only. For specific questions about your own unique dental health situation, be sure to ask your periodontist or dentist.
Part 28 of the Book: What You Should Know About Gum Disease :
Plaque Is The Enemy
Consistent, daily disruption of plaque is the secret to defeating many dental health problems, including gum disease.
The problem with plaque is that it harbors bacteria that are able to exist in an 'anaerobic' form. This means that they use a biologically inefficient form of metabolism that leaves acid chemicals as a byproduct.
These waste products can attack your tooth enamel as well as your gum tissue. The saving grace is that the plaque must remain intact for this to happen.
If the plaque is disrupted and the bacteria underneath are exposed to oxygen, they will die or revert to 'normal' efficient metabolism that does not produce the same harmful waste products.
Plaque will quickly begin to reform as soon as it has been disrupted. It is believed that in about 24 hours it will have sufficiently regrown to shield the 'bad' bacteria from oxygen to the point that they can rapidly multiply and secrete more and more waste products.
Therefore, the work of disruption must be done daily.
Brushing and Flossing
These are definitely worthwhile plaque disrupting activities. They should continue to be done. The question is: Are they enough?
The answer, I believe, lies in the fact that dental health professionals tell us that about 75% of people have some gum disease right now. That is a frightening number for sure.
I believe that it also answers the question about whether brushing and flossing are enough to prevent gum disease.
The Book: What You Should Know About Gum Disease discusses what this problem is and what else might be helpful to you in your fight to put an end to or prevent this problem that attacks so much of the human race. You can get your copy of that book here.
Of course, you should get your regular dental cleanings and work with your dental health professional all the way. But, if a little knowledge helps you to prevent lost teeth and expensive treatments, then it is more than worth the $20 or so that the book costs.
Whatever the case may be, this problem definitely afflicts a lot of people. Most people do not know they are part of the 3 out of every 4 that are affected. They may not find out until later when the disease progresses to 'noticeable' levels. But, at that point, the damage has been done.
PS: You can also read: How To Stop Gum Disease in 4 Easy Steps, get it here. I speak in general terms, specific questions about your unique dental health situation should be directed to your periodontist.
The primary cause of tooth loss, you can ask any dental professional about this, is gum disease. It's a serious problem that many people have. Perhaps as many as 3 out of every 4 people have some gum disease. 
