One missing molar might not seem like a big issue, but you'll soon begin to notice the difference while you eat. The loss of a molar can have a big impact on the way you chew your food. And more than one missing molar can leave you feeling frustrated at mealtimes. But dental implants can replace a lost molar and your ability to chew your food.

If you have lost a molar, consider replacing it as soon as possible with a dental implant.

Molars Help You Digest Your Food

If you've ever tried to chew solely with your front teeth, you'll know how difficult it is to properly desiccate food. Your front teeth excel at breaking food into smaller chunks, and then your premolars tear that food into still smaller pieces. Perhaps the most important teeth in terms of chewing and breaking food up are your molars. These large teeth crush your food into easily digestible chunks.

This is important because it aids in the digestion of food. The smaller the pieces of food you swallow, the easier they are to digest once they are in your stomach. You can suffer from indigestion if you swallow large chunks of food, and this will make eating a struggle.  

Molars Allow You to Eat Whatever You Want

The loss of a molar tooth can prevent you from eating your favorite foods. For instance, if you enjoy steak, chips, and garlic bread, chewing these with one or more missing molars will be a challenge. If you want to continue to enjoy your favorite foods, restoring your lost molars will allow you to do that.

Molars Take the Pressure off Your Front Teeth

What often happens when you lose one or more molars is that you are forced to chew more with your front teeth instead. But your premolars, canines, and incisors are not designed to chew with the same frequency and power as your molars are. This is especially true of your incisors, which have less enamel than molars.

If you are missing one or more back molars then, you'll put much more pressure on your front teeth than normal. As a result, they'll experience more wear and tear than usual. Rather than wear out your front teeth, replace your missing molars with dental implants.

Dental implants can replace the chewing function of missing back molars. But make sure you see your dentist soon before you lose the bone that once supported your molar tooth.

To learn more about dental implants, reach out to a local dentist.