Research finds: 80% of adults in the country are at risk of missing teeth! Avoid these 3 misunderstandings

"Losing teeth as you age" is a deeply rooted concept among many of our friends, who believe that teeth will naturally fall out as you age.

However, the World Health Organization (WHO) defines oral health for the elderly as “8020”.

That is, an 80-year-old person should have at least 20 "functional teeth" that are not loose.

However, according to statistics released by the Chinese Stomatological Association, 79% of the middle-aged and elderly people in my country over the age of 45 have missing teeth, especially the elderly over the age of 70, many of whom are missing teeth or even have no teeth.

When faced with missing teeth, patients often fall into the following misunderstandings:

Myth 1: Missing a tooth doesn’t matter.

Many elderly people do not fully realize the impact of missing teeth on oral health. A mouth of teeth is like a house, each tooth has its own function, and if a brick is missing, the whole house will shake.

If a tooth is allowed to be missing, the tooth behind the vacant position will tilt and shift in that direction, and the occlusal tooth opposite the missing tooth will also extend to the opposite side, affecting the arrangement of the teeth and easily causing food blockage, leaving no room for repair in the future.

Myth 2: Missing a lot of teeth will cause harm.

In fact, as long as one or two teeth are missing, it will be harmful. If a tooth is missing and the tooth opposite it is one or two millimeters longer, when chewing food, the force on this tooth will be relatively large, and it will shift backwards. After a long time, it will not be able to return, resulting in food stuck in the tooth, and then there will be problems such as caries.

(Missing teeth makes the elderly a high-risk group for dental caries)

Misconception 3: I don’t have many teeth left anyway, so I might as well wait until all my teeth fall out and then have them replaced.

Some people will wait until all their teeth fall out before getting dentures, which is highly not recommended.

Why?

First, poor retention means that teeth are easy to fall out.

Second, it can easily cause toothache. Because when there are teeth, the force of the denture can be placed on the teeth next to it, which provides good support. If all teeth are gone, placing the denture on the alveolar bone will easily compress the alveolar bone and cause toothache.

Third, as the alveolar gap continues to shrink, the effectiveness of the denture will become increasingly poor, and it will need to be constantly re-customized, which is both troublesome and harmful to the body.

(Adsorption denture)

Therefore, if you can repair a missing tooth as soon as possible, it may become more difficult to repair it later, cost more money, and cause physical harm.

Do you know these four common misunderstandings about dental implants? Dental implants are known as the "third set of teeth for humans" because they are well fixed, do not harm adjacent teeth, and are beautiful and comfortable. However, many netizens have complained about them.

"Dental implants cost 30,000 yuan, and the cost is 3,000 yuan!" "I lost my down payment after implanting a few teeth! What a rip!"

I understand everyone's thoughts very well. After all, a small tooth is not covered by medical insurance. Why does it cost tens of thousands of dollars? The hospital charges tens of thousands, but some clinics only charge five or six thousand. Is it a scam?

Let me talk to you about these questions.

Misconception 1: The high price is only due to expensive materials. In fact, not only dental implants, but also aesthetic treatments such as restorations, crowns, and whitening are not covered by medical insurance.

Some so-called reports that say "the cost is a few thousand, but the charges are tens of thousands" actually only calculate the material cost of the implant, while the surgical cost, restoration cost, technical cost, medical operating cost and the labor value of the medical staff of the dental implant are not taken into account.

The dental implant system consists of three parts: in addition to the implant, there are also implant abutments and instrument accessories. A set of imported implant systems is equipped with hundreds of precisely designed accessories.

The combination of the above factors will inevitably lead to an increase in the price of dental implants.

Myth 2: Dental implants can "accelerate" the process. Mr. Zhang wanted to get a dental implant because his first molar on the lower right side was rotten. Unexpectedly, after the examination, he was told that it would take a total of half a year. "It's too slow, can't it be accelerated?" Mr. Zhang couldn't wait and chose to get a porcelain tooth instead.

It usually takes three to six months to implant a tooth. This is not a deliberate delay by the doctor, but is determined by the treatment technology itself. To implant a tooth, you first need to drive a "pile" into the alveolar bone, fix the artificial tooth root, and then attach the porcelain crown. After the artificial tooth root is implanted, it takes at least three months for the tooth bone to heal. Depending on the physical condition of each person, you may have to wait longer.

There are now methods of immediate implantation after tooth extraction and immediate restoration after dental implant surgery, but these must be evaluated based on the patient's own conditions and not everyone can do it.

(The implant restoration process is very complicated)

Myth 3: There is no need for the elderly to have dental implants. In fact, dental implants are most meaningful to the elderly.

Elderly people suffer from tooth loss, which leads to decreased chewing function, poor nutrient absorption, and even malnutrition. Dental implants are significantly better than removable dentures and porcelain teeth in restoring the chewing function of teeth and maintaining oral health.

Removable dentures are fixed by metal hooks and rubber supports, which are easy to loosen and can only restore partial chewing function.

When installing porcelain teeth, the adjacent teeth on both sides must be ground down to act as "bridge piers" to fix the conjoined porcelain teeth.

Because removable dentures mainly rely on the bone at the missing tooth site to support the bite force, it is easy to cause the gums to gradually shrink.

Dental implants do not require damage to the adjacent teeth on both sides. They are not only strong and durable, but also can prevent tooth bone atrophy.

Myth 4: Dental implants can only last for ten years. Dental implants have a service life, and some middle-aged people with missing teeth mistakenly believe that dental implants can only last for ten years. They worry that if the implants fall out, they will be completely irreparable.

But in fact, the lifespan of teeth is closely related to personal maintenance, oral hygiene and overall health. Currently, the lifespan of dental implants is generally more than ten years. As long as they are properly maintained, they can basically be used for 20 to 30 years. Even if the dental implants "expired" and fell off, they can be repaired by bone grafting and other methods.

(Bone grafting and repair to lay a good foundation for implantation)

Missing teeth can be said to greatly affect the quality of life. If a tooth is accidentally lost, please seek medical attention as soon as possible and repair it in time!