Reasons to Be Thankful for Your Teeth:

As I reflect on this long holiday weekend filled with an overzealous appetite and delicious food, I determined that it is easy to forget just how important teeth are to us on a daily basis.  Sitting here this morning, thinking of the important functions that teeth have are pretty impressive.

A question I have is…When was the last time you have thought about what your teeth do for you?  This is the list I came up with…..

1. Chewing Food: (not just turkey!)

Teeth are shaped in a variety of shapes to allow for us to eat all different types of food.  For example, the front teeth are made for chewing and tearing vegetation.  Where as, the back molar teeth are made for grinding heavy foods such as meat.  A great example of how having a stable chewing system is when a older gentleman came to my Southern California cosmetic dental office in search of a way to secure his loose-fitting denture.  To assist him in his dream of eating a hamburger without dentures  hurting his mouth and/or falling out, we placed dental implants to support a new denture.  The result was life-changing for him, as he now is confident in his smile as well as can happily enjoy a In-and-Out burger as he pleases!

2.  Teeth Help Us Speak:

Teeth are used along with the muscles surrounding our mouth to shape letters and sounds.  For fun, say the word “thankful” notice how the tongue touches the top teeth.  Now say the word “for” notice how the lower lip and upper teeth touch to make this sound.  When our teeth are not positioned properly in alignment with our jaw, speech impediments can occur.  Ways to correct a speech problem are moving the teeth and/or jaw with orthodontics and/or jaw surgery.

3.  Teeth Keep the Jaw Bone Strong:

Without teeth in the jaw bone present, the bone surrounding the missing tooth/teeth begins to decrease over time.  This lack of bone stability creates many dental problems, such as, ill-fitting dentures and discomfort chewing food.  In severe cases, dentures may not even be an option due to the lack of bone in the jaw which makes chewing food nearly impossible.

4.  Teeth Help Shape Our Face:

Imagine a person who has no teeth.  Their face appears to be “sinking into their mouth.”  The devastating cosmetic result of missing teeth for a long period of time is the loss of facial structure.  Loss of facial structure not only creates instability in the jaw, it also unfortunately distorts the shape of one’s face.

5.  Teeth Create Beauty:

A bright, healthy, and straight smile greatly improves the attractiveness of one’s smile.  How does a person smile without teeth?  Or, individuals who are self conscious about their smile rarely show their teeth when they smile.  As a holistic cosmetic dentist, I focus on bite stability along with a natural approach to achieving my clients goals when it comes to dental treatment.

In closing, I give many thanks to my teeth!  To schedule a visit at my Holistic Cosmetic dental office located in Southern California just off of the 91-freeway in Riverside, please call us at (951)686-3666.