Gaps — welcome only in milk teeth

In small children they are endearing, in adults a blemish: gaps left by missing teeth – especially at the front – can greatly impair one's appearance and even affect emotional wellbeing. But missing teeth also matter for our health: a person's dentition is not a rigid arrangement but a movable system that responds to changes from outside. When a tooth is lost through an accident or severe periodontitis, complications often follow. The way we chew can change, first when biting off and biting down. Beyond that, missing teeth can also lead to problems with speech

Far more decisive, however, is that gaps left untreated endanger the stability of our entire chewing apparatus. Every tooth normally has two neighbours at its sides, and every tooth of the upper jaw has two opposing teeth in the lower jaw. If a tooth is missing, its opposite number suddenly has nothing to meet when biting down. The consequence: it grows out of its row until it meets the neighbouring teeth again. Gaps are also niches that are hard to clean and in which bacteria settle. They can then attack and destroy gum and jawbone

A change in the balance of the chewing system can lead to further complaints:

• pain in the jaw joint
• headaches
• chronic tension
• back pain
• noises in the ear