“I had the weirdest dream where all of my teeth crumbled out.”
It sounds like a weird thing to dream about, but nightmares about losing teeth are way more common than you might think.
In fact, a study in 2018 was published by the National Library of Medicine, which found that 39% of the population dream about their teeth falling out, breaking or rotting.
The study examined people from many different cultures, so it is safe to say that the anxiety about becoming toothless is a human problem, not just an American one.
And while toothless nightmares don’t discriminate based on age, it is one of those fears that becomes more realistic as you age.
When you are young, your teeth are naturally in better shape. You haven’t used them as much, so there is no degradation.
But as you get older, you put more wear and tear on your dentition, and it is also more likely that some kind of trauma has happened.
In any case, your teeth are probably not going to suddenly fall out, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start thinking about your options if your teeth eventually become unable to function correctly.
If you are concerned about not having teeth, you probably fall into one of two categories: someone who needs replacement teeth or someone concerned about an upcoming tooth extraction.
Tooth Extraction
Wisdom tooth extraction is one of the most common types of tooth extraction, but there are many cases where someone might need to have a decayed or damaged tooth completely extracted.
This can occur from trauma or poor dental hygiene, but the effect is generally the same: an abundance of pain and discomfort.
In these cases, the pain you experience from continuing to ignore the tooth is exceptionally higher in the long term than the pain you will feel from extraction.
Replacement Teeth
Whether your teeth have fallen out on their own or if you have had one or all of your teeth removed, you have plenty of options when it comes to replacing them.
Dentures
These are a very dated solution to missing teeth. They aren’t securely fastened to your anatomy and are prone to slipping out and shifting while you are speaking.
Many patients often find that they are much more likely to seek out fastened and permanent replacements after their teeth dislodge once in an embarrassing situation.
Dental Implants
You can have individual or full mouth dental implants inserted to fill whatever gaps you have in your teeth.
The fascinating part about dental implants is that they are fastened to your actual jaw through a process called osseointegration.
Osseointegration begins when your surgeon drills screws into your jawbone. Once attached to the bone, your body will naturally create a bond between the two pieces.
This security prevents any kind of slippage since the implants are now, essentially, part of your body.
Teeth In a Day
When it comes to their function, teeth in a day are generally very similar to other dental implants.
They rely on screwing into the jawbone, osseointegration and an abutment that is placed on top of the implant screw.
Where they differ, however, is the aesthetic of the implant itself and the time it takes to have the replacement teeth inserted.
Teeth In a Day are custom designed to match your appearance or other teeth, so a more harmonious dentition can be achieved.
But the teeth can also be placed on the same day that the screws are put in place, meaning much faster results.
The screws will still go through the process of fusing with the jawbone, but they can function on their own for a bit in the interim.
Perfect Your Dentition with Dr. Freeman
If you are near the Katy area in Texas, you can give us a call at 281-599-9445 to learn more about how dental implants or tooth extraction can benefit you.
We are ready to help you put those nightmares about losing your teeth to rest, so feel free to also fill out our online contact form so that one of our staff members can get back to you as soon as possible.