So, I’m starting this year with something that has been very close to my heart and has bothered me since many years. It’s very disappointing for me to hear patients say…..please close this gap between my front teeth or whiten my front teeth or even I want Veneers or Crowns on my front teeth.
There are times when the patient is ready to get their whole smile designing or smile makeover done, but refuses to get even a single molar replaced.
No matter how good your diet is, with the best macro and micronutrients, organic produce or a pure vegan diet, your body will not be able to absorb any of the nutrients if you cannot chew your food. Your stomach does not have teeth so the solid undigested food just leaves the body.
Another very important thing is when you chew your food, you don’t end up eating mindlessly. As our elders have always said to chew each mouthful 32 times. Well, 32 times is always not possible, but definitely chewing properly and well aids in being mindful of what one is eating and avoids overeating.
The loss of the back teeth can also severely affect the health of the front teeth. This is because you are doing all your chewing and biting with the front teeth, which are not designed to do that.
Therefore, in people who do not have their back teeth, one often sees fractured front teeth with cracks and crumbling of the enamel. Their front fillings also break faster.
God made our front teeth for delicate work like slicing or peeling the meat off the bone. They are not meant for heavy chewing and grinding. So, when we do that it causes severe damage like breaking, crumbling or fracturing of the crowns.
Then another important thing is the root surface area of molars which is quite large, hence, they support the jaw bone. In short, they act as shock absorbers, with the large muscles which form a sheath around the jaws. The 3 roots of the molars act as a tripos thereby absorbing most of the forces of chewing and in turn protecting the front teeth.
In the long run, losing your back teeth can result in loss of bone around the teeth, the vertical height is lost or in short, you end up looking old. There is nothing simulating bone formation and development over there. Also the gums in that region get irritated and inflamed easily.
Hence, if you want a beautiful set of front teeth and want to eat well, please go and replace that single molar that you have been ignoring for so long.
