If there was one thing which dentists all around the world were trying to avoid, then it would have to be tooth loss. Nobody wants to wear dentures, and nobody definitely wants to lose more than one tooth in his or her lifetime. But luckily, tooth loss may be controllable and preventable. This is according to a study which was published by in the Journal of Periodontology. The said study alleged that there are nine risk factors for tooth loss as a result of periodontal or gum disease.
Nine Risk Factors
People who were likely to lose teeth due to gum disease were aged 35 and above, and male. These individuals are those who have not sought professional dental care, and they have never used a toothbrush or barely brush their teeth. At the same time, individuals who are at risk of losing their teeth smoked whether currently or in the past. In terms of diseases, these susceptible individuals also have diabetes, hypertension and rheumatoid arthritis. Lastly, the study also uncovered that the most likely tooth that is lost is the anterior or front teeth instead of those found at the back of the mouth.
While risk factors such as your age and sex are probably non-negotiable already and you’d have to make do with the cards you are dealt with, the other factors such as how often you brush your teeth or visit the dentist are things that you can work on.
Leading Cause of Tooth Loss: Gum Disease
According to the said study, the number cause of tooth loss is gum or periodontal disease. And it’s a very natural reason. Our gums are what hold our teeth in place. If their integrity is not destroyed, then our gums would not have the power it once had to secure our teeth in their positions, and prevent them from loosening up and falling off.
Smoking
Of all the risk factor mentioned, the most notorious in causing tooth loss among individuals who have gum disease would have to be smoking. According to the study, of all the individuals who lost teeth as a consequence of periodontal disease, three out of ten were, in some point of their lives, smokers. Gum disease is just one of the string of diseases which is caused by smoking. The most serious of these smoking-related oral diseases remains to be oral cancer. The tobacco in cigarettes and cigars are thought to be toxic to tissues which it is exposed to.
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