Perils of Eating Without Teeth

Categories: Dental Implants

perils of eating without teethScotts Valley and Santa Cruz, CA

Maybe you have lost teeth but hesitated to replace them with a treatment such as dentures or dental implants. Or, perhaps you have received dentures but have difficulty wearing them or placing them in your mouth. In either case, you might try to eat despite those missing teeth. But beware… this can jeopardize your health. Take a deeper look at the perils that come from eating without teeth.

Gum and jaw issues are much more likely if you attempt to chew food without teeth. This is because, without your teeth to do the work they are meant to do, your gums and jaws have to work much harder to chew the food enough that it can be swallowed. Continue to eat without teeth, and your gums will become sore and easily irritated; even chewing softer foods becomes difficult. This behavior eventually can lead to gum disease, which occurs from an infection in the tissue of your gums, or even temporomandibular joint disorder. You may even be at risk of a fractured jawbone, as your jaw will become weaker over time due to the excessive amount of stress placed upon it.

Digestion also can be hindered by eating without teeth, because swallowing food that has not been chewed properly can cause problems elsewhere in your digestive tract. Swallowing food fragments that are too big leads to incomplete digestion; all the nutrients are not extracted from the food, and any undigested food becomes a potential source of bacteria in the colon, leading to bacterial growth, flatulence, and general indigestion. You may try to eat a diet of foods that, in general, do not require significant chewing. This also can lead to malnutrition, because your body does not have the chance to absorb the nutrients that takes place during the chewing process. Chewing also stimulates the production of saliva, which relaxes the pylorus muscle, allowing food to pass with ease into the small intestine; and indicates to the gastrointestinal system that the digestive process can begin. 

In conclusion, eating without teeth over a long period of time can be detrimental to your overall health. So why have you waited to replace your teeth? Are you embarrassed about the potential stigma that comes from wearing dentures? Are you worried about the financial obligation that comes with more sophisticated tooth replacement options, such as dental implants? Whatever reason is holding you back from replacing lost teeth is not good enough—not when your health is on the line.

Replace Missing Teeth in Scotts Valley

At Ebrahimian Integrative Dentistry, your local Scotts Valley dentist offers a variety of different tooth replacement options, including custom dentures, implant dentures, metal-free partial dentures, and dental implants. We also accept a wide range of different forms of payment, including third-party financing with monthly payment plans that fit into almost any household budget. To learn more about our various tooth replacement treatments, call our Scotts Valley office today at (831) 438-4411.

Ebrahimian Integrative Dentistry is proud to provide comprehensive oral health care for patients located in the California communities of Los Gatos, Santa Cruz, and Scotts Valley.