Tooth Loss: Effects Quality of Life
Every individual’s dream is to have a good quality of life. Quality of life can be described as the ability of an individual to maintain all that he/she has been enjoying in life. Research shows that health especially oral health contributes to the quality of life. Oral health is good when;
- There is no facial pain
- Able to chew appropriately and without difficulties
- There is ease of ingestion and digestion of food
- Able to communicate especially speaking
All the above factors contribute to a large extent the confidence and self-esteem of a person hence any challenge on them can affect an individual’s quality of life. Many people have lost one, or several teeth due to diseases such as dental caries and periodontal which jeopardize their communication, chewing and lowers their self-esteem as they cannot enjoying the facial expression of happiness, i.e., smiling.
Tooth loss effect on quality of life is felt much by the elderly as it affects their well-being and appearance. They become limited to eat all sorts of foods, indigestion due to chewing difficulties, their speech becomes blurred as the pronunciation of some words becomes different, the mouth shrinks and generally their appearance change. Some of the causes of tooth loss include;
- Dental diseases
- Lack of proper nutrition
- Poverty and hunger
- Lack of prevention measures such as brushing
- Lack of access to adequate treatment
The effects of tooth loss may prevail even after extraction as a complication may develop if the process was not done correctly. There may be infections that get into the gap and affect the jaw and experience prolonged pain hence one should seek medical services from a qualified dentist with the necessary equipment to perform the process and know the longevity of tooth implants. When an individual is faced with all these problems due to tooth loss, his/her quality of life will be affected.
