You brush and floss your teeth, but you probably don’t spend much time thinking about them during the day. However, your teeth are pretty amazing. Their purposes extend beyond grinding and chewing your food. Although you may not realize it, you rely on your teeth for much more than a nutritious diet and a beautiful smile. Here are 5 things you wouldn’t be able to do if you didn’t have any teeth.
1. Chat with Friends and Family
Believe it or not, your teeth help you speak clearly. They work along with your tongue and lips to pronounce sounds that are part of your language. Although you could still speak if you didn’t have any teeth, your words would sound slurred. You would have to work harder to pronounce certain sounds, like /t/ and /f/.
2. Maintain Facial Structures
Chewing reinforces your jawbone, keeping it strong and healthy to support your facial tissues. Losing a single tooth can cause your jawbone to shrink by up to 25% within one year. It will continue to deteriorate as time passes, causing your muscles and facial tissues to lose support. You could look years older than your chronological age because premature wrinkles and sagging skin can occur.
3. Hold Your Saliva in Your Mouth
It would be pretty embarrassing if you had saliva leaking from your lips all day. Your teeth actually prevent you from drooling. Although your lips play a role in holding your spit in your mouth, it requires a conscious effort. You don’t have to put any thought into your teeth stopping your saliva from running out.
4. Smile
It’s possible to smile without any teeth, but you probably wouldn’t want to. Research has found that the appearance of your smile affects your self-esteem. If you have missing teeth, you may not want people to notice the gaps in your mouth. Therefore, you might avoid certain situations that might cause you to show your teeth, like smiling for a picture or catching up with an old friend. Not only will your confidence suffer but also your quality of life, because you can feel less happy if you don’t smile often.
5. Maintain a Healthy Body
Extensive research has found a direct connection between oral and general health. Every tooth is vital for a healthy smile. If you are missing teeth, your general well-being will be influenced in many ways. Tooth loss can make it difficult to eat certain foods, causing you to eliminate them from your diet, potentially resulting in nutritional deficiencies.
Your teeth can last for a lifetime with the right care, like brushing and flossing. Don’t forget to see your dentist every 6 months for a cleaning and checkup to enjoy every benefit of a complete smile.
About Dr. Nicole Sassounian
Dr. Sassounian achieved her dental degree from the USC School of Dentistry and has regularly continued her education in many specialties, like cosmetic dentistry. She strives to create healthy, confident smiles using advanced dental care. If you have missing teeth, contact our office today to request a consultation.