Why do we lose teeth?

No, I’m not talking about baby teeth. Why do some people seem to have healthy teeth no matter what? Why do some tend to fight against a never-ending cycle of dental problems in spite of the best available care? The answer is not necessarily “bad genes” or “soft teeth” as is commonly stated.  Sometimes it just doesn’t seem fair.  What I would like to share is a little bit of the why behind dental problems.

Let’s start with the original question.  There are three ways we lose teeth:  gum disease, cavities, and jaw/bite problems.  Sounds simple, right?  These are things that can be diagnosed by your dentist.  The problem is most of the diagnosis in our profession is reactive. For example, bacteria eats a hole in the tooth and we react to it by removing the bacteria and damaged tooth structure. Then, we replace it with a filling or crown.  Problem solved, yes?  No.  The damage has been repaired but the cause of the problem is still there damaging another tooth or causing another filling or crown to fail.  Think of it this way:  There is a problem with the environment of the mouth that allowed a cavity to form in the first place.  Filling the tooth doesn’t change the environment and as a result the problems within the environment will damage more teeth. 

There is a paradigm shift occurring in dentistry.  A greater importance is being placed on evaluating and treating our patient’s risk factors in order to change the environment.   This creates more stable outcomes.   For me, this has become an essential part of my practice and has led many, many patients down a path of dental health and stability that they were unable to achieve previously.  I only gave one example of the why we lose teeth, but the other two causes are managed in a similar way: by looking at and treating why the problems occurred and not just what problems occurred. 

For more information on risk assessment–based dentistry, feel free to contact Dr. DeCota at decodental@sbcglobal.net.  Dr. DeCota owns a general dentistry practice in the Fenton area and can also be reached at 636-349-2400.