Chances are you've skipped brushing your teeth for a night, whether is because you're busy, you forgot or are simply lazy. However, those times add up quick, and the facts behind it are scary.

Did you know? Over 240 million Americans, primarily between the ages of 20 and 64, are missing one or more teeth. That's a lot of people, it may even include you! Even crazier, these people are missing an average of 7 permanent teeth each! To make matters worse, only 37% of these people have visited a dentist in the past year.

The numbers don't lie; we don't seem to care about our teeth as much as we should. However, if you think about it, you don't want a gap in your smile. It's embarrassing, even painful! Here's 5 other reasons you shouldn't ever neglect your teeth.

Bad Teeth Can Affect Your Job Opportunities

Smiling is important, especially during a job interview. In fact, the first impression people have of you starts with your smile. That's why if you have crooked, discolored or broken teeth it may cost you a job. According to a survey conducted by the American Dental Association (ADA), those with poor teeth have a significant disadvantage finding a job, especially if they're a young adult or from a low-income background.

The reasoning behind it is simple. If you have bad teeth, you can't take care of yourself. If you can't even take care of yourself, how are you going to uphold the responsibilities the job demands? Now, you may think hiding your smile during an interview may work alternatively, but it doesn't. An interviewer wants to see your smile as it shows your confidence and ability to be sociable, which is stressed immensely in today's work field.

Poor Oral Care Will Lead to Health Problems

When you don't brush your teeth, bacteria will grow exponentially all along the surface of your teeth. While the bacteria itself isn't dangerous, it does break down sugars you consume, including carbs, and excretes an acidic substance that eats away at the enamel protecting your teeth. However, poor oral care doesn't stop at your teeth as they aren't the only thing that's affected.

Periodontitis is common when you don't take care of your teeth. Better known as periodontal disease, periodontitis is the inflammation of tissue surrounding your teeth. When you don't brush your teeth, bacteria development can cause your gums to shrink and your teeth to loosen. If left untreated, periodontal disease can lead to Type 2 Diabetes, something no one wants to have to deal with.

Let's make matters worse. Not taking care of your teeth can lead to greater dental infections, which can take a deadlier turn. Your mouth is a passageway for food, water and air to get into your body. If you don't take care of it, your mouth will let in bacteria and viruses directly into your bloodstream, which can cause blood clots, cardiac problems, even chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

A Missing Tooth Will Affect Your Social Life

Don't let a missing tooth stand in the way of your social life! Think about it, you don't want to have to tell your friends and family you lost a tooth because you failed to take care of it. That's embarrassing! Even worse, you don't want to be that one person in a picture hiding their smile because of a gap in your smile.

To make matters worse, a missing tooth comes with a mental toll. From a psychological standpoint, you're not going to want to hang out with anyone to begin with, which can negatively impact your relationships and future opportunities. Let's not forget a missing tooth is just the beginning of a permanent frown, which often happens as your jawbone will begin to sink with every missing tooth.

One Missing Tooth Will Lead to More Missing Teeth

When you lose a tooth and don't take care of the problem as soon as possible, there'll be more consequences. Your teeth will begin to shift in place to cover as much surface area as possible, so you'll feel plenty of tooth pain. However, this will cause these teeth to loosen and most likely fall out, which just restarts the whole shifting process. Essentially, if you lose one tooth, you're on the road to lose more, that is, unless you take a different path.

Dental Implants are Your Only Solution

One way to solve your missing tooth problems quickly and without a problem is to look at dental implants. Dental implants are undeniably the best solution for dental restoration, whether for one tooth or multiple teeth. It's composition mirrors that of a natural tooth in only three pieces – the implant post, abutment and crown.

The implant post acts like the root of a tooth, anchored to the jawbone to provide maximum support. Next comes the abutment, which connects the implant post and crown through the gumline. Lastly is the crown. The crown is the only visible part of a dental implant and colored to match the natural stain of adjacent teeth.

Dental implants are strong. they match the appearance of your other teeth and they're designed to last a lifetime. With dental implants costs more affordable than ever these days, starting at just $1395 for a single implant, there's no reason you shouldn't look at one to solve your missing tooth problem. The best part about this price is that you can take advantage of it at ADHP, right here in Southern California. Start your dental implant journey today by scheduling your Free Consultation at one of ADHP's six offices.

Healthy teeth mean a healthy you. As you can see, lots of bad things can happen to your oral and overall health the moment you lose a tooth. That's why it's so important if you do have a missing tooth to take advantage of dental implants and resolve the problem before it gets out of hand. We hope that these 5 things will keep you from neglecting your teeth now, and in the future. Share this as well to help your family and friends become aware of the consequences of a missing tooth.