7 Health Benefits of Dental Implants
In general, it’s best to replace missing teeth as soon as possible. That way, you’ll be able to prevent adjacent teeth from drifting toward the empty sockets and loosening. Likewise, dental implants also help keep your jaw healthy so you don’t lose bone density.
Here are the main benefits of dental implants.
1. Prevent Further Tooth Loss
It’s important to understand that your teeth are held in place by their roots and surrounding teeth. This means that when you lose a tooth, nearby teeth may start to tilt toward the open space and become loose.
The best way to prevent more teeth from falling out is to get a tooth replacement for the one you lost. Many of our patients appreciate because they look and feel like natural teeth.
2. Prevent Cavities
When you lose a tooth, surrounding teeth have lost part of what was holding them in place. As a result, you may notice teeth start to tilt toward the open space or even become loose over time.
When teeth shift, you are more at risk for tooth decay. Crooked teeth provide plenty of hiding places for plaque and bacteria that cause cavities.
3. Improve Nutrition
Having difficulty eating your favorite foods? After tooth extraction, it can be hard trying to maintain a balanced diet.
If you have only been eating soft foods to avoid biting down in pain, you’ll need to schedule an appointment with your dentist to discuss dental implant surgery.
By avoiding certain foods, you may also be depriving your body of the nutrients it needs to be healthy. For example, it’s difficult for your body to support healthy jawbone tissue if you aren’t getting the vitamins and nutrients you need.
4. Prevent Jaw Deterioration
Your jawbone needs stimulation from tooth roots to be healthy. However, when you lose a tooth, the pressure that was exerted on your jawbone also goes away. When left unattended, your body will begin to reabsorb your jawbone to use those nutrients elsewhere in a process known as remineralization.
To prevent jawbone deterioration, we recommend asking your dentist about the tooth implant procedure. A dental implant will fill the empty space left in your smile after losing a tooth, stimulating your jawbone the way a tooth’s root would. This keeps the jawbone intact and ultimately protects your face shape over time.
5. Improve Your Speech
Missing teeth and even dentures change the way you speak, as tooth gaps can cause you to lisp while dentures can slip and slide around. Implants, whether topped with a crown or used for implant-supported dentures, will keep your dental restorations in place and allow you to talk as you would with your natural teeth.
6. Retain More of Your Teeth
Dental bridges require the filing down of adjacent teeth in order to place crowns on them, which reduces the structure of otherwise healthy teeth. With dental implants, there’s no need to damage the adjacent teeth at all. This means that your natural teeth can retain their healthy tooth enamel while still filling in a gap resulting from a missing tooth.
7. Feel Confident With Your Smile
Many of our patients feel more confident after the . When you have missing teeth, you may try to hide your smile or even avoid talking to new people.
After the dental implant procedure, you will be able to enjoy false teeth that look and feel natural. You may be surprised by how much you start enjoying life again when you feel confident with your smile and are able to eat all of your favorite foods again.
Dental implants not only benefit your oral health, but your emotional well-being.
Learn More About Dental Implants
Dr. Alexandra Dodds is a family dentist in Grand Rapids, MI. As such, they’ll be able to determine whether you’re a candidate for dental implants. To request an appointment, call Renew Family Dental at (616) 245-3205.
This blog post has been updated.