We often think of missing teeth as something that just affects the elderly. But it is actually quite common for adults of any age, and if ignored, the consequences can be severe. Indeed, taking care of our teeth goes far beyond aesthetics as dental health really impacts the entire body.

Dr. Stuart Froum is a board-certified periodontist and one of the foremost experts on dental implant complications. In fact, he’s written a book on just that topic as well as dozens of articles. His specialty is helping people who’ve had problems with their dental implants to regain control over their health. He’s lectured extensively throughout the country on this subject and teaches other dentists how to treat implant problems. 

In this discussion, Dr. Froum lays out the reality of what happens when we are missing teeth in any part of our mouth. In fact, it can even impact the structure of your face and the alignment of your jaw. This impacts many muscles throughout your body. It also affects your nutrition and even cardiovascular health. Dr. Froum goes on to tell us how we can take control of our health in the face of tooth loss and regain that beautiful smile.

Have you or someone you know dealt with complications from a dental implant? Tell me how it went in the comments on the episode page!

  In this episode

• How missing teeth can cause pain throughout your body
• The ways that missing teeth impact diet and nutrition
• The effects of gum disease and how to best treat it before it’s too late
• What’s involved when it comes to replacing missing teeth and which types of implants are best for your comfort and health
• How bone density is measured and new techniques for increasing it
• What to look for when searching for an implant specialist
• How much dental implants are going to cost depending on where you go and what kind of work you need done

  Quotes 

“When there’s a loss of teeth for a prolonged time, the muscles in the body compensate for this by adapting to the new bite and the misalignment. When they do this, a person can have pain in their neck, shoulders, back, down the spine, all the way to the tips of their toes.” [3:13]

“Gum disease can certainly affect other parts of the body. It’s been shown to be related to a higher incidence of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and even erectile dysfunction.” [8:27]

“If the patients come in regularly to have their implants cleaned, checked, and monitored, then the diseases can usually be detected early on. The earlier it’s detected, the better the results.” [20:37]

“Implant resolution and changes could occur in people who are 21 years old and people who are 101 years old.” [34:15]

 

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Links

Find Dr. Stuart Froum online

Follow Dr. Froum on Facebook

Dental Implant Complications by Dr. Stuart Froum

American Academy of Periodontology

PubMed Central

 

Check out the full show notes for this episode here

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