You don’t have to “just live with” tooth loss. Tooth loss is far more than just a matter of mere aesthetics. It can affect how you chew, digest food, speak, care for your teeth, and more.
Dental implants are the number one modern solution for tooth loss. It’s the closest thing to having your original teeth back, and you will enjoy numerous benefits
Here are 8 key benefits of getting dental implants put in that can significantly impact your life in a positive way.
1. You get your old smile back – no need to hide your teeth anymore!
Modern dental implants are capped with dental crowns that look amazingly like real teeth. In fact, if someone doesn’t already know you have implants – they aren’t going to unless you decide to tell them.
Many people feel self-conscious and don’t want to smile in public when some of their front teeth are missing. Dental implants restore your original smile and let you feel confident again to smile “out loud.”
2. Dental implants are comfortable. They feel just like regular teeth.
Another important point is that, unlike removable dentures and/or dental bridges, dental implants cause no discomfort inside your mouth. It feels just like a mouth full of “regular” teeth.
Implants are fixed in place, so they won’t slide around on your gums like dentures can. They have the same size, shape, and feel as natural teeth.
3. Modern implants allow you to chew and speak 100% naturally.
Having teeth missing or using removable dentures can make it difficult to chew food properly, which in turn, can lead to lack of full digestion and less absorption of necessary vitamins.
It can also lead to pronunciation difficulties. None of that is going to be a problem anymore if you get dental implants put in.
Those with implants can freely eat all their favorite foods and drinks just the same as with natural teeth without fear of any special difficulties arising.
4. Easier oral hygiene and improved oral health.
It can be difficult to clean dentures or to clean around bridges, but dental implants are cared for with ordinary oral hygiene techniques. Just brush, floss, and use an antiseptic mouthwash regularly.
Also, adjacent teeth do not need to be altered or impacted to support dental implants since they support themselves.
Overall, those with implants are likely to have better oral health than those using other tooth restoration methods. Dental hygiene is just easier, and there’s less that can go wrong.
5. Better alveolar bone health.
When a tooth is lost, the gum and bone tissue underneath where it once was begins to dissipate. Bone tissue “resorbs” into the body over the months and years following. And removable dentures can rub against your alveolar ridge and wear it down over the years.
But dental implants are implanted into/onto your alveolar bone mass where natural teeth are rooted as well. This puts pressure on the bone tissue, keeping it strong and healthy.
6. You will need fewer dental visits.
With removable dentures, you often have to return to the periodontist or dentist for a “new set of teeth” every few years. The old dentures don’t fit right anymore and must be replaced.
Implants, however, last for 20 years or more – often for a lifetime. You will want an occasional checkup at the dental office, but you shouldn’t need to be there as often as some other tooth restoration methods might require.
7. There are virtually no lifestyle limitations with dental implants.
There is no reason why someone with dental implants can’t exercise, run, jog, play sports, and engage in other strenuous physical activities. That’s often not the case with ordinary dentures.
Implants not only allow you to eat what you want with ease, but they also allow you to do just about anything you want as far as lifestyle choices.
The fact that implant rods are made of titanium, a metal that safely and firmly fuses to bone tissue, means you don’t have to avoid a lot of these types of activities.
8. You can comfortably replace any or all teeth with implants.
Bridges can replace one or two teeth that are adjacent or very nearby. Removable dentures have trouble with just doing a part of your upper or lower jaw – they can, but it makes for a more awkward fit. And removable dentures tend not to be very comfortable anyway.
But you can replace a single tooth with a dental implant, or you can replace all of them. You can use the “all on 4” permanent, implant-supported dentures technique to put in a whole jaw full of teeth. Or, you can put any in-between number of implants or partial dentures supported by implant rods into your mouth.
These are just some of the many ways that dental implants can positively impact your everyday life. To learn more about what modern implants are and how they function, or to schedule an in-person consultation with a local periodontist, contact Ormond Beach Periodontics & Implant Dentistry today!