What causes missing teeth?

This is the complete guide to missing teeth. If you have recently lost a tooth or want to replace a tooth which has been knocked out then this guide is for you. Plus it looks at the various causes of missing teeth such as tooth decay and gum disease and why these need to be treated sooner rather than later.

So why do we lose our teeth? This may seem like an obvious question but there are numerous reasons as to why this happens. The most likely cause is tooth decay but teeth can also be lost as a result of an accident or injury.

Easy to use guide to missing teeth

This guide discusses missing teeth as follows:

• Causes of missing teeth
• Problems of missing teeth
• Replacing missing teeth
• Missing teeth FAQs
• Glossary
• Links

Visit any of these in turn to learn more about missing teeth.

Why should you replace missing teeth?

Find out more about what causes you to loose your teeth and most importantly, what can be done about it. In most cases you will want to replace a lost tooth or teeth to avoid an unsightly looking appearance. But there are people who choose to leave a gap in their mouth.

A single lost tooth is not a problem but several missing teeth can cause problems which are discussed further in this guide.

Natural tooth loss

Don’t forget that all of us lose teeth during childhood. We acquire our first set of teeth between the ages of 6 months and 2 years in a process known as teething. These baby teeth start to fall out at the age of 6 years onwards and are replaced by permanent (adult) teeth.

This is a natural process although this can be speeded up if a child looses a tooth due to an accident or injury.

The replacing of the milk teeth with the permanent teeth is a natural process but the majority of causes of missing teeth are man-made.

In other words, these are self-inflicted mainly as a result of our lifestyles.

Learn more about missing teeth