Your teeth are an important part of both your appearance and your ability to eat and speak adequately. When you lose a tooth or several teeth, it can impact both your mind and your body. Before you write off losing a tooth just like losing a sock on laundry day, discover how it can affect your overall wellbeing and why you should replace your teeth with CeraSmile® instead of living toothless or with cheap dentures.
The 5 Stages of Grief
When you lose your teeth, you might experience the five stages of grief just like you would when losing someone you love. The first stage you encounter is denial. You might deny that your teeth are actually gone. The second stage is anger where you might feel angry at yourself for letting your teeth get so unhealthy they needed to be pulled. Then you might experience bargaining, depression, and then acceptance. Until you get to the acceptance stage, your mental health won’t feel normal. You might avoid social situations, your favorite foods, or visiting the dentist altogether because you feel embarrassed and angry.
A study surveyed denture wearers and non-denture wearers about their tooth loss and found that those who replaced their teeth with dentures experienced less emotional distress about their tooth loss than those who didn’t. However, both groups experienced some level of changes to their mental health after losing their teeth. The study concluded that denture wearers had less trouble accepting their tooth loss and less restriction in their food choices and social activities than non-denture wearers.
The main takeaway is that if you lose your teeth, your mental health will suffer significantly less if you replace your missing teeth.
Tooth Loss May Lead to Depression
Just like losing someone you love, losing your teeth can result in depression. When you look in the mirror, your smile will no longer look like your smile. Chewing and speaking won’t feel the same. You also can’t talk to people you know about how you’re feeling because then they will know you no longer have your natural teeth.
A study conducted in the UK in 2013 concluded that tooth loss caused as much psychological trauma as losing any other part of your body. The study also found many people avoided social situations after losing their teeth due to the emotional trauma and embarrassment it caused them. Avoiding social situations then exacerbated their already poor mental state.
Tooth loss can lead to depression but with the right tooth replacement, you can start feeling like yourself again starting with feeling confident in your smile.
Avoid The Mental Health Effects of Tooth Loss with CeraSmile®
One way to help get yourself to the final stage of grief much sooner is by replacing your missing teeth. CeraSmile® is a great option because it’s not like most dentures. It’s an implant bridge that uses high-quality materials that look natural, feel comfortable, and give you the closest thing to real teeth. You might even like the appearance of your smile better with CeraSmile® than your previous natural teeth. We want to help you start feeling like yourself again and limit the amount of mental repercussions tooth loss may have given you. Find a CeraSmile® dentist near you today to get started.