When you lose a tooth, one of the issues that you'll eventually begin to experience is the sagging of the lip immediately over the hole in your smile. In addition to performing a long list of other valuable tasks, your teeth also support your lips. When a tooth is absent from your mouth for a period of time, the lip in the area loses its support, and you may be unhappy with how this changes your appearance. Fortunately, you don't have to put up with lip sagging as a result of losing a tooth. There are several dental services that can restore this valuable support, including the following.

Dental Implant

A dental implant is a procedure that can restore the lip support that you lost as a result of losing a tooth. This procedure, which involves a post being attached to your jawbone and a dental crown being plated atop the post, is fairly involved. Generally, it will take a series of appointments for you to get a dental implant done. The big benefit of this procedure, beyond improving your smile and supporting your lip, is that it's permanent. As long as you take proper care of the implant, it should last you indefinitely.

Dental Bridge

Another dental procedure that can be valuable for providing lip support over the void in your smile is a dental bridge. There are many different styles of dental bridges that can suit you, but their common trait is that they give the illusion of you having a healthy tooth in this opening. Dental bridges are commonly cemented to the teeth on each side of the opening, which allows you to have a full smile instead of one with a noticeable gap. And, of course, you'll also appreciate the lip support that the dental bridge can provide.

Partial Denture

You may also want to talk to your dentist about obtaining a partial denture for the gap in your smile. Partial dentures can include just a single tooth or a few teeth, and can be valuable for a number of reasons. When you're wearing a partial denture, it provides support for your lip to prevent sagging. Partial dentures require more maintenance than the above dental procedures, however, because you need to take them out to clean them regularly. Don't hesitate to ask your dentist about his or her recommendation for the best dental procedure that will help you to avoid the lip sagging that occurs with a missing tooth.