Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesImpactReplacement OptionsFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Impact
Replacement Options
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s not uncommon to have missing teeth. In fact, a survey in 2015 found only 48% of American adults ages 20–64 have a full permanent (or secondary) set. Nearly 1 in 5 seniors over 65 are missing all of their teeth (called edentulism).Genetic conditions,gum disease, injury,cavities, and tooth decay are among the many causes of tooth loss.
Tooth loss can affect chewing patterns, cause bone loss, and impactself-esteem, and it can lead to other health conditions if left untreated. Fortunately, there are ways to restore your smile, such as with dental implants, dentures, and dental bridges.This article discusses the causes and impact of tooth loss or lack of tooth development, as well as what you can do about it.
Verywell / Tara Anand
Causes of Missing Teeth
The Typical Ages for When Kids Start Losing Their Teeth
Genetics
The three kinds of congenitally missing teeth are:
Gum Disease
Another common cause of missing teeth is gum disease, which causes spaces between gums and teeth referred to as pockets. Over time, this can cause teeth and bones to decay and tissue to recede, which leads to tooth loss.
Causing inflammation, redness, and bleeding in the gums,gingivitisis a mild form. It’s generally reversible with good dental care and hygiene. If untreated, though, gum disease progresses toperiodontitis, in whichplaquebuildup moves below the gumline.This prompts extensive treatment.
4 Signs You Have Gum Disease and What to Do About It
Injury
Of course, sports injuries, falls, car accidents, and other kinds of trauma can cause you to lose teeth. Losing an entire tooth in this manner requires immediate attention from your dentist oran endodontist, a dental specialist. Try to see a doctor within a half hour.
Caring for a Lost ToothIf you’ve lost a tooth due to trauma or a fall—and after calling for immediate help—try to reposition the tooth back into its socket. If that doesn’t work, store it in a glass of milk or hold it in your mouth next to your cheek as you travel to the dentist. Don’t wrap lost teeth in paper towels, clean it with any chemicals, or touch the exposed root.
Caring for a Lost Tooth
If you’ve lost a tooth due to trauma or a fall—and after calling for immediate help—try to reposition the tooth back into its socket. If that doesn’t work, store it in a glass of milk or hold it in your mouth next to your cheek as you travel to the dentist. Don’t wrap lost teeth in paper towels, clean it with any chemicals, or touch the exposed root.
Additional Risk Factors
A number of otherdental health conditionsand behaviors raise the risk of developing missing teeth, including:
In addition, severe tooth loss is significantly higher in those with a number of diseases, including:
RecapPeople develop missing teeth for a variety of reasons, including certain genetic conditions, gum disease, injury, and trauma. Tooth decay, poor nutrition, smoking, and poor dental care all raise the risk, as do certain chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease.
Recap
People develop missing teeth for a variety of reasons, including certain genetic conditions, gum disease, injury, and trauma. Tooth decay, poor nutrition, smoking, and poor dental care all raise the risk, as do certain chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease.
Impact of Missing Teeth
There are many reasons that missing teeth should be taken care of. The following is a breakdown of the impact of tooth loss:
Options for Replacing Missing Teeth
Given how essential taking care of missing teeth can be, and how common the issue is, it’s little wonder that there are options for restoring your smile. Along with the long-standing approach of wearing dentures (false teeth), dentists and endodontists offer several newer treatments. There’s no need to live with tooth loss.
Dental Implants
When the task is to replace a single tooth,dental implantsare a particularly promising option. These create permanent false teeth that are crafted to blend in with yours. Getting an implant is a multistep process that includes:
Dentures
Entire or partial sets of false teeth, dentures, may be necessary in cases of significant tooth loss. These are worn as needed and taken out at night.
The two kinds that are used are:
Living with dentures does requireparticular care, including cleaning them properly and avoiding certain foods and drinks.
Dental Bridges
Effective for replacing multiple missing teeth at a time, installing adental bridgeis a third option. These sets of artificial teeth are attached to a bracket (the bridge), which is cemented to supporting structures: either healthy teeth with crowns or implants.
Though the procedure to put dental bridges in place isn’t as invasive as that for implants, several appointments are required. Here’s a breakdown:
RecapDental implants, dental bridges, and dentures are all means of replacing missing teeth. The specific approach used depends on the number of teeth missing, health of the jaw, and other factors.
Dental implants, dental bridges, and dentures are all means of replacing missing teeth. The specific approach used depends on the number of teeth missing, health of the jaw, and other factors.
Summary
A Word From Verywell
While missing teeth can, in some cases, be easy to ignore, tooth loss is something you should take seriously and treat. Like many health issues, the sooner you seek out and start the process of correcting it, the better the outcome. Along with keeping up with good dental hygiene habits and regular checkups, talk to your dentist about what you can do to correct your tooth loss.
Veneers are porcelain or ceramic shells that are placed over existing teeth to correct their appearance. They’re typically used to correct smaller issues—chips or cracks—rather than to replace entire teeth.Learn MoreHow Are Dental Veneers Installed?
Veneers are porcelain or ceramic shells that are placed over existing teeth to correct their appearance. They’re typically used to correct smaller issues—chips or cracks—rather than to replace entire teeth.
Learn MoreHow Are Dental Veneers Installed?
You can get braces if you have missing teeth, and, in fact, braces may be necessary to line up teeth before you have a dental implant inserted.Very much depends on the specific case, but teeth alignment procedures can be attempted—and may even be recommended—when teeth are lacking.Learn MoreWhat You Need to Know About Braces and Orthodontics
You can get braces if you have missing teeth, and, in fact, braces may be necessary to line up teeth before you have a dental implant inserted.Very much depends on the specific case, but teeth alignment procedures can be attempted—and may even be recommended—when teeth are lacking.
Learn MoreWhat You Need to Know About Braces and Orthodontics
There are several reasons missing a tooth isn’t good and should be treated, including:Because teeth can migrate, tooth loss can lead to misalignment of your bite (malocclusion).It can impair your ability to chew food, affecting your diet and causing jaw pain and other issues.It impacts self-esteem and self-image, especially if the tooth loss is prominent.It increases the risk of further tooth loss or other dental problems.
There are several reasons missing a tooth isn’t good and should be treated, including:
Learn MoreDifferent Types of Cleft Palates
Overall, a majority of adults have at least one tooth missing, and it grows increasingly common as you age. Naturally, some teeth are more likely to go than others. The most commonly missing are:Wisdom teethUpper lateral incisorsBicuspids/secondary premolarsLearn MoreWhy Do We Have Wisdom Teeth?
Overall, a majority of adults have at least one tooth missing, and it grows increasingly common as you age. Naturally, some teeth are more likely to go than others. The most commonly missing are:Wisdom teethUpper lateral incisorsBicuspids/secondary premolars
Overall, a majority of adults have at least one tooth missing, and it grows increasingly common as you age. Naturally, some teeth are more likely to go than others. The most commonly missing are:
Learn MoreWhy Do We Have Wisdom Teeth?
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Dye B, Thornton-Evans G, Li X, Iafolla T.Dental caries and tooth loss in adults in the United States, 2011-2012.NCHS Data Brief. 2015;(197):197.Harvard Medical School.Two options for replacing lost teeth. Updated November 14, 2016.Al-Ani A, Antoun J, Thomson W, Merriman T, Farella M.Hypodontia: an update on its etiology, classification, and clinical management.Biomed Res Int. 2017;2017:1-9. doi:10.1155/2017/9378325National Organization for Rare Disorders.Tooth agenesis. Updated 2019.American Academy of Periodontology.Gum disease information.Jiang T.Tooth loss truth: it’s no longer about the tooth fairy. Harvard Health. Updated August 27, 2021.Silva Junior M, Batista M, de Sousa M.Risk factors for tooth loss in adults: a population-based prospective cohort study.PLoS One. 2019;14(7):e0219240. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0219240National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.Severe tooth loss and chronic diseases. Updated August 25, 2020.National Institutes of Health.Dentures. Updated November 1, 2021.Alothman Y, Bamasoud M.The success of dental veneers according to preparation design and material type.Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2018;6(12):2402-2408. doi:10.3889/oamjms.2018.353Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.Orthodontics. Stanford Children’s Medicine.
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Dye B, Thornton-Evans G, Li X, Iafolla T.Dental caries and tooth loss in adults in the United States, 2011-2012.NCHS Data Brief. 2015;(197):197.Harvard Medical School.Two options for replacing lost teeth. Updated November 14, 2016.Al-Ani A, Antoun J, Thomson W, Merriman T, Farella M.Hypodontia: an update on its etiology, classification, and clinical management.Biomed Res Int. 2017;2017:1-9. doi:10.1155/2017/9378325National Organization for Rare Disorders.Tooth agenesis. Updated 2019.American Academy of Periodontology.Gum disease information.Jiang T.Tooth loss truth: it’s no longer about the tooth fairy. Harvard Health. Updated August 27, 2021.Silva Junior M, Batista M, de Sousa M.Risk factors for tooth loss in adults: a population-based prospective cohort study.PLoS One. 2019;14(7):e0219240. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0219240National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.Severe tooth loss and chronic diseases. Updated August 25, 2020.National Institutes of Health.Dentures. Updated November 1, 2021.Alothman Y, Bamasoud M.The success of dental veneers according to preparation design and material type.Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2018;6(12):2402-2408. doi:10.3889/oamjms.2018.353Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.Orthodontics. Stanford Children’s Medicine.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Dye B, Thornton-Evans G, Li X, Iafolla T.Dental caries and tooth loss in adults in the United States, 2011-2012.NCHS Data Brief. 2015;(197):197.Harvard Medical School.Two options for replacing lost teeth. Updated November 14, 2016.Al-Ani A, Antoun J, Thomson W, Merriman T, Farella M.Hypodontia: an update on its etiology, classification, and clinical management.Biomed Res Int. 2017;2017:1-9. doi:10.1155/2017/9378325National Organization for Rare Disorders.Tooth agenesis. Updated 2019.American Academy of Periodontology.Gum disease information.Jiang T.Tooth loss truth: it’s no longer about the tooth fairy. Harvard Health. Updated August 27, 2021.Silva Junior M, Batista M, de Sousa M.Risk factors for tooth loss in adults: a population-based prospective cohort study.PLoS One. 2019;14(7):e0219240. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0219240National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.Severe tooth loss and chronic diseases. Updated August 25, 2020.National Institutes of Health.Dentures. Updated November 1, 2021.Alothman Y, Bamasoud M.The success of dental veneers according to preparation design and material type.Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2018;6(12):2402-2408. doi:10.3889/oamjms.2018.353Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.Orthodontics. Stanford Children’s Medicine.
Dye B, Thornton-Evans G, Li X, Iafolla T.Dental caries and tooth loss in adults in the United States, 2011-2012.NCHS Data Brief. 2015;(197):197.
Harvard Medical School.Two options for replacing lost teeth. Updated November 14, 2016.
Al-Ani A, Antoun J, Thomson W, Merriman T, Farella M.Hypodontia: an update on its etiology, classification, and clinical management.Biomed Res Int. 2017;2017:1-9. doi:10.1155/2017/9378325
National Organization for Rare Disorders.Tooth agenesis. Updated 2019.
American Academy of Periodontology.Gum disease information.
Jiang T.Tooth loss truth: it’s no longer about the tooth fairy. Harvard Health. Updated August 27, 2021.
Silva Junior M, Batista M, de Sousa M.Risk factors for tooth loss in adults: a population-based prospective cohort study.PLoS One. 2019;14(7):e0219240. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0219240
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.Severe tooth loss and chronic diseases. Updated August 25, 2020.
National Institutes of Health.Dentures. Updated November 1, 2021.
Alothman Y, Bamasoud M.The success of dental veneers according to preparation design and material type.Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2018;6(12):2402-2408. doi:10.3889/oamjms.2018.353
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.Orthodontics. Stanford Children’s Medicine.
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