Having missing teeth can damage your confidence and self-esteem. Additionally, missing teeth can compromise your oral health. Fortunately, dental implants is the solution you can trust, which is why more seniors are considering it. A recent report by the American Academy of Implant dentistry states that over 3 million Americans today have implants.
Benefits of Dental Implants
Apart from letting you chew apples again, affordable implants have several other benefits, including:
• Preventing the remaining teeth from moving
Once you lose a tooth, space is created, and it causes bone loss. Because of the pressure exerted on your remaining teeth, the teeth adjacent to the gap start shifting. As a result, the once healthy and straight teeth slant and become unstable. This movement can also lead to further bone loss, and you may eventually lose more teeth. Dental implants can help prevent these issues by reducing bone loss and stimulating bone growth.
• Preventing premature aging
Bone loss caused by missing teeth results in facial sagging. The lower third of your face collapses and gradually closes the distance between the tip of your nose and the chin. This causes some changes such as excess wrinkles near your mouth, a more pointed chin, and thinning lips. This will make you look a lot older than your actual age.
• Immediate results
Depending on your situation, a professional dentist will replace your missing teeth with dental implants in as little as just one appointment. This permanent solution to your missing teeth will help you experience a dramatic improvement in teeth stability, chewing ability, and overall oral comfort. Keep in mind every case is different. Therefore, ensure that you get a free consultation to get a more accurate period on how long the procedure will take.
• Keeps your natural teeth healthy
Traditional bridges often involve grinding down the teeth adjacent to the teeth gaps to cement the bridges onto them. The lost natural tooth structure is irreversible. On the other hand, partial dentures have clasps that the dentist hooks onto adjacent teeth. These clasps put more pressure on the teeth as the metal moves back and forth.
What’s more, the clasps eat away at the gum tissue and can cause more damage. The dental implant procedure does not involve or interfere with any of the remaining teeth. Therefore, your remaining teeth will not be compromised. Implant-supported bridges or crowns allow you to keep your natural teeth for longer.
• Prevent health diseases
Dental implants improve your oral health, which is a window to your overall health. They help create a healthier mouth by eliminating the risk of periodontal disease. Periodontal disease cannot be improved by itself, and when left unchecked, it can cause stroke, heart attacks, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and other chronic diseases. Because implants are similar to your natural teeth, caring for them is just like caring for your natural teeth. With regular checkups and routine maintenance (brushing and flossing after meals), you will have a healthy smile for a lifetime.
Types of Dental Implants
Following are the two main types of dental implants:
1. Endosteal
These surgical implants will attach to your jawbone. They are made of titanium shaped into small screws. After the post has been inserted and the surrounding gum has healed, you will undergo a second surgery to connect the post to the implant. The final stage involves placing the artificial tooth or teeth in the position, which is doable individually or grouped on a denture or bridge.
2. Subperiosteal
These implants consist of a metal frame directly fitted onto your jawbone, just below the gum tissue. The structure will gradually become fix to your jawbone as the gum heals. The posts attached to the frame are left protruding through the gums, and just like the endosteal implants, lab-prepared teeth are mounted to the posts.
Get Natural-Looking And Natural-Feeling Teeth Replacements
Dental implants do much more than improving your self-esteem and smile. Although you can choose them for these reasons, they also prevent bone loss and improve the health of your remaining teeth and your overall health. Whether you have one or several missing teeth, dental implants can improve the way you look and feel as well as your overall health.
