This infographic shows the stages your bone and surrounding teeth go through following losing a tooth. The left side shows what happens if the tooth is not replaced. The right side shows how an implant continues to stimulate bone growth and prevent the knock on effects you would suffer from a missing tooth.
Stage 1
An implant continues to stimulate bone growth and prevent the knock on effects you would suffer from a missing tooth. If you do not replace the missing tooth with an implant there is no bone stimulation and it will begin to recede.
Stage 2
If you have a gap in your teeth, the receding bone will cause the gum line to recede. This leaves the base of the tooth exposed and vulnerable to gum disease. If the gap was filled by a dental implant, the gum line holds steady.
Stage 3
A long term symptom of a missing tooth is that it’s surrounding teeth begin to drift. This is because there is a gap and nothing to support them. A dental implant will re-inforce surrounding teeth preventing them from being able to drift.
Stage 4
Where you have receded gum lines and teeth that have drifted, your teeth are much harder to keep clean and free from gum disease.
Stage 5
Teeth surrounding the gap will begin to fail. If a dental implant had been placed in the gap your gum line and teeth would remain healthy.
Source: Bath Spa Dentistry
